A lot of us journalists just kind of naturally transitioned to the COVID beat, which means writing a lot about Black and Latinx sickness and death, which really means writing a lot about the deaths of people who look like people you love. That feels very hard lately.

There are also a lot of stories, photos, and videos of Black people getting brutalized in public spaces for existing. I urge non-Black people not to consume and consume and consume and circulate and circulate and circulate Black suffering, pain, and death in this way.

I’m thinking through the roles that journalists play in this particular moment. What is helpful? What is harmful?