David Montgomery, a former data reporter at MPR News, has been tracking COVID-19 numbers in Minnesota for over three years. However, his tracking has come to an end with the new year as he has left the newsroom and is now a senior data journalist for YouGov America. Montgomery reflected on his COVID-19 project and discussed the challenges and lessons learned from tracking the pandemic. He mentioned that working with COVID-19 data required caution and humility due to the unpredictability and limitations of the data. Montgomery also highlighted the importance of data journalism in understanding and communicating complex data to the public. He mentioned that wastewater tracking was a helpful additional metric in understanding the COVID-19 situation in Minnesota. Montgomery decided to end his tracking project due to diminishing public interest and reduced data availability. He acknowledged that some people will lose access to the data but felt it was the right time to stop. Montgomery expressed gratitude to MPR for providing a platform to share his research and discussed his new role as a senior data journalist at YouGov America, one of the largest polling firms in the US. [10bcda50]
Nearly four years after the pandemic, the U.S. is still learning about what went wrong. Stephanie Ruhle sits down with Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean to talk about their book on the virus, our response, and whether the U.S. can do better in the future.
Dr. Jeffery Gold, the Medical Center Chancellor at the University of Nebraska, discusses the current state of American health following the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledges that while the public health emergency is officially over, the virus has made a resurgence. Dr. Gold provides insights into the current situation and what could be coming in the New Year. [993abc54]
