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Germany's coronavirus response is a master class in science communication

Christina Farr

July 21, 2020 |

CNBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

To contain the spread of the coronavirus, Germany relied heavily on communication and information tactics that prioritized the voices of health and science officials. Although misinformation was still a problem for the country, the overall approach in enhancing scientific communication appears to have payed off given that country has one of the lowest mortality rates in Europe.

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Citrus for Sourdough, Eggs for Yeast

Annelise Jolley

July 21, 2020 |

Life & Thyme |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Food bartering helps families during times of food insecurity, which is often exacerbated by crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Families with lower incomes have bartered for food for a long time but the pandemic has brought diversity to the families exchanging food with friends and neighbors. Food bartering is part of the cultural fabric of different groups, such as the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which hosts workshops on cultivating gardens. Food bartering is an inclusive and community-building practice but when bartering is the only way to get food, the communal reliance can be an emotional drain.

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To fix homelessness, let's treat it as a health issue like they do in Denver

Diana Lind

July 20, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia can look to places such as Denver and New Jersey for examples of how to alleviate homelessness by treating it as a health problem. Many people experiencing homelessness struggle with alcohol, opiate and drug addictions as well as mental and physical disabilities. Hospitals are often obligated to treat and keep anyone who may not have a safe place to go after release therefore the healthcare industry has an incentive to mitigate the homelessness crisis by providing wraparound services as well as transitional housing for people who have no where to go after a hospital release.

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How Your Local Election Clerk Is Fighting Global Disinformation

Matt Vasilogambros

July 20, 2020 |

Stateline |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Many entities are working with social media companies to flag election-related disinformation. The California Secretary of State emails voters about how to report false information so the state can flag it and the Arizona Secretary of State verifies official accounts with social media companies. In the private sector, the startup VineSite uses artificial intelligence to identify and flag false information and the nonprofit Mitre has an app used by 160 election officials to report social media disinformation. Officials have a good relationship with social media companies, but there is room for improvement.

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The hidden hand that uses money to reform troubled police departments

Kit Ramgopal Brenda Breslauer

July 19, 2020 |

NBC News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Smaller cities that cannot afford costly payouts for civil settlements in police misconduct cases rely on liability insurance, which can act as a regulator when insurers demand reforms up to and including disbanding troubled departments. While police killings have decreased in large cities over the past six years, they have increased in the suburban and rural areas served by the vast majority of police departments. “Loss prevention” measures that require policy and personnel changes have been proven to work, but insurance that fails to police the police can also shield cities from accountability.

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How the ‘15-Minute City' Could Help Post-Pandemic Recovery

Patrick Sisson

July 15, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France

Some cities are using coronavirus shutdowns as opportunities to start infrastructure projects that support car-free living and encourage walking or biking to jobs, shopping, and city services. Car-free urban development benefits the environment, revitalizes cities by keeping resources local, and has become more appealing because of fears of virus spread. Paris, Milan, Tallinn, Ottawa, and Portland are among the cities using coronavirus-related lockdowns to kickstart bike lane and pedestrian zone projects. As the pandemic has decimated city budgets, it is a challenging time to begin infrastructure projects.

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The Promising Results of a Citywide Basic-Income Experiment

Linnea Feldman Emison

July 15, 2020 |

The New Yorker |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Stockton, California

Universal basic income, or UBI, was implemented in Stockton, California through a pilot program known as SEED. Each participant was given $500 with no conditions on how to spend it. The data shows that the largest expense was food, especially as the pandemic began. Participants report being able to quit second jobs and third jobs, pay off debts, and cover medical bills. A key feature of the UBI was the absence of the requirement to be employed in order to receive the money. The basic-income pilot has caught the attention of programs across the country who reached out for advice.

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How to Get Contact Tracing Right

Ellie Vance

July 14, 2020 |

Washington Monthly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, early efforts at contact tracing by different states in the U.S. proved successful when they relied on people instead of applications or software, which showed high rates of failure since people didn't seem to want to participate or download the applications. New York state relied on human contact tracers, specifically those who lived in the neighborhoods they track. "The city’s initiative has shown early success: As of June 16, it had reached 94% of all new positive cases."

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The coronavirus effect on Pakistan's digital divide

Mehreen Zahra-Malik

July 13, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan

The Pakistani government uses technology, like a state-owned TV channel that broadcasts content for grades 1-12 and apps sourced for free by ed-tech companies, to help the over 50 million school children without broadband internet or digital device access. The TV channel has over 54 million subscribers and there is a text-messaging service that allows its 250,000 subscribers to talk to professional teachers. Despite the digital divide, the use of educational apps has also skyrocketed since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, technology is not a silver bullet to solve the country’s deep education inequalities.

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How Teacher Looping Can Ease the Learning Disruptions Caused by Coronavirus

Kara Newhouse

July 13, 2020 |

KQED |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Jose, California

Educators in California are exploring "looping" as a way to offer students and families some semblance of stability and continuity as schools prepare for what's to come amid the pandemic. Looping means a teacher, or a set of teachers, stays with the same group of students from one grade to the next. This method helps teachers "dive-in deeper", and explore their students' strengths, allows students to create stronger bonds with teachers and other students, as well as foster a larger sense of community.

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