Teaching Media Production Online During a Pandemic: Brief Report Submitted to PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs

The coronavirus pandemic has challenged the world and the U.S. with a health, financial, and information crisis. Starting in March, with a quarantine in place to stop the spread of the virus, millions of students and teachers found themselves suddenly locked at home as they try to find ways to continue the school year. This short report highlights the ways in which secondary educators teaching the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs taught media production through remote instruction. Teaching media production during the pandemic is not easy, and both educators and students experienced challenges, as documented by interviews and focus groups with 16 educators and analysis of artifacts created by students during the pandemic. But there are certain best practices that greatly helped educators in teaching media production online in times of uncertainty.