When the coronavirus takes over your beat: Laurel Wamsley ’06, reporter for NPR, on covering the pandemic

Before March of this year, Laurel Wamsley ’06 covered stories for NPR focusing on cities, technology, policy, and criminal justice. Now, the Washington, D.C.-based alumna covers the coronavirus which, of course, has impacted all aspects of society.In between filing stories, Laurel spoke with Morehead-Cain from her home in the Columbia Heights neighborhood to share what the past two months have been like, how NPR has changed its approach to reaching Americans, and her thoughts on the impact the pandemic will have on public trust in local media and national news organizations. Morehead-Cain has also been gathering stories from alumni on their efforts to help those most affected by COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the world, support health care workers, increase access to research, and so much more.Here are just a few of them: Norton Tennille, Jr. ’62, founder of the nonprofit South African Education and Environmental Project (SAEP), is raising funds to buy and deliver grocery packages and vouchers for families in Cape Town, South Africa.Natalie Feingold ’15, a global account executive at Flexport, is helping coordinate logistics surrounding the supply of emergency equipment to healthcare workers worldwide through the Frontline Responders Fund.Josh Lee ’04, the founder of Green Top Farms, is helping manage a program to feed food-insecure families by partnering with pantries and shelters in New York City.You can access the full list on the “COVID-19 Response” page on the Morehead-Cain Network. The intro music for this episode is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. The ending song, entitled “Morning Light,” is by Jakob Hamilton ’19, a keyboardist and composer. You can find more of his recordings on his YouTube channel.On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].