NEW YORK (AP) – When the coronavirus shutdown began, ABC News’ Martha Raddatz figured her plan for a cross-country road trip to meet voters would be shelved, too.
Instead, this week Raddatz nears the end of a 6,000-mile journey, where in Ohio she found a man who said President Trump “almost walks on water.” She’s made accommodations, been careful with masks and distancing, arranged interviews ahead of time and is avoiding a cliche of political reporting for safety’s sake.
“I have a no-diner rule,” she said.
The pandemic that instantly changed the 2020 presidential campaign forced news organizations to reevaluate coverage plans, too. It’s an ongoing process: several reporters who followed Trump to Nevada on Sunday stayed outside when they learned the president’s rally would be held indoors.
For months, news executives wondered if they would be covering a campaign without campaigning, although it has grown more public after Labor Day.