Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County Tries New Social Media Campaign To Drive Home COVID Crisis: #Every10Minutes
Screenshot: LA County Dept. Of Public Health Twitter Page
()
After months of begging the public to stay home, L.A. County's Department of Public Health is trying something different: appealing to our most basic sense of human empathy.
The department's end of year Twitter campaign points out a grim statistic: someone in L.A. County dies every 10 minutes from COVID-19.
To draw attention to what that actually means, beyond the waterfall of numbers and statistics we've become numb to, the department is sharing descriptions of the people who could lose their lives, if we don't pay attention and do the right thing. It could be your mom, your sister, your brother. It could be someone else you know:
The barber who got the lines right.
Support for LAist comes from
The high school guidance counselor.
The cool aunt.
The Lakers fan who told stories about seeing Magic and Kareem at the Forum.
Someone who stopped to help a person whose car broke down on the 5.
A grandmother who loved to sing to her grandchildren.
The grocery store clerk who always asked about your kids.
Dad.
Support for LAist comes from
The account is sending out tweets like this every 10 minutes, for 24 hours, ending at midnight tonight. Each tweet includes this message: "Please wear a face covering when outside. Slow the spread. Save a life" and the hashtags #Every10Minutes #LACounty.
#Every10Minutes someone dies of COVID-19 in LA County. People who were loved and will be missed. Until we slow the spread, the next person to tragically pass away could be someone you know.
— LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 31, 2020
Crafting a public message that asks the public to socially isolate for months, indefinitely, is difficult — to say the least. L.A.'s message has been consistent: Stay at home. Stay at home. Stay at home. That worked in March, when we all went into emergency mode, when the whole situation felt temporary. But as time passed, and passed...and passed, the message started to lose its meaning. Since then the department has faced criticism from all sides -- that their messaging has been at times, confusing, mixed, repetitive. It's been perceived as too harsh or not harsh enough, not nuanced enough, not forgiving enough, not effective enough. It's hard to get people to care, and keep caring, as the days, weeks, months go by.
This Twitter effort marks a new attempt to appeal to our shared humanity. We might not see photos of each person who died, as we do in mass shootings or after major events such as 9/11. But that doesn't mean each of the 10,000 Angelenos who've been lost to the coronavirus weren't real people, with families, lives, stories.
A spokesperson from the health department explained the goal to LAist via email:
"We want to highlight the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our community; more than 10.000 people passing away this year, and all were loved by and loved others."
But in a few weeks, when we get the post-holiday case numbers, we'll see if the message was received.
Support for LAist comes from
At this point, as the surge continues and hospitals beginning to ration care, as we reach the most deadly point, locally since the pandemic began, the county has nothing left to lose.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist