05 Mar SPJ Western Washington calls on state officials to include journalists in vaccine schedule
Today, the board of SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter — along with our colleagues representing several other journalism organizations — have sent a letter to the Washington State Department of Health arguing that frontline journalists should be included in Phase 1B of the vaccine schedule.
Over the last year, many journalists have been on the frontlines covering the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts in Washington state, as well as the protests for racial justice that took place in our communities. For many, this means interacting with people in-person. This puts not only us and our families at risk, but also the communities we cover.
When vaccines were first announced, our board felt there were many others who needed to receive protection before us. Now, with three different vaccines and more than 1.5 million doses administered in Washington state, we believe it is time to call on our state leaders to include frontline journalists in the vaccine schedule.
Below you can find a copy of our letter, which was signed by the following organizations and people:
Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro Chapter
Seattle Association of Black Journalists
National Association of Hispanic Journalists Seattle Chapter
Asian American Journalists Association Seattle Chapter
Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Kaitlin Gillespie, administrative officer of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild
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