At a talk I once attended, an investigative reporter told the story of a source breaking down during their interview about the deaths of her children. She sat there impassively because it wasn’t “her job” to show a shred of sympathy. That is... not the kind of journalist I am.

More than anything, covering the pandemic has taught me the importance of bringing compassion to every aspect of my work. If you’re asking people to share the most painful moments of their lives, it’s not unprofessional to express words of comfort. It’s the bare minimum.

There has long been this idea in journalism about performing objectivity. Some people interpret that as, I need to be dispassionate and not act like a human. I strongly disagree. We are humans first and foremost, and there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that.

We should never take for granted the people who willingly open up to us about painful experiences. We don’t have a right to their stories, and we should be doing everything we can to treat them with care, understanding and respect.