- How a health reporter does her job when every story is urgent
Wednesday, April 15th 2020
Health stories are basically the only stories now. There are reams of sometimes-conflicting data, no shortage of sources (though some are much better than others) and someone has to sift out the themes that will have lasting impacts from the one-day scares and triumphs.
This is where those who have made the health beat their career are essential. It might be the toughest job in journalism right now. So how do they do it? And what are they seeing?
GUEST: Carly Weeks, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
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- A Canadian experiment looks for a ‘Hail Mary’ COVID-19 treatment
Tuesday, April 14th 2020
It's been used in desperate times of disease for a century—but there's never been a large-scale study of its effectiveness. It's relatively simple to administer, but requires a lot of resources to get right. Will it work? We don't know, but if it does it could be the armour the front-line workers need to battle COVID-19.
Today we look at a Canada-wide experimental treatment that could provide some important insights into how we beat this virus.
GUEST: Michael Doyle, journalist (Read Michael's piece in the Globe and Mail here.)
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- A guide to COVID-19 scams and how to protect yourself
Monday, April 13th 2020
A global pandemic has trapped most of us inside our homes. We're cut off from friends and family. We're scared and lonely and worried about our jobs and the rent or the mortgage. Which means, sadly, that we've never been riper targets for scammers and fraudsters looking to profit off our collective misery.
The scams began as soon as news of a virus made its way out of China in January, and as COVID-19 spread, so did they. And once you lose your money or information to a scammer, it's far too late. So today, we'll try to arm you with information—to identify a fraud and protect yourself if you're targeted.
GUEST: Sam Cooper, National Investigative Reporter, Global News
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- How many restaurants will survive this Spring?
Thursday, April 9th 2020
An early estimate says perhaps one in 10 non-chain restaurants have already closed for good. This month could add 15-20% more. The hospitality industry depends so closely on incoming cash flow, that they simply aren't built to survive a shutdown like this.
A group of independent restaurant owners have banded together to lobby all levels of government for the only thing they say can keep them alive through Canada's physical distancing regulations. Why are they different from other industries? Will they get it? And what will your local bar or eatery look like when this is all over?
GUEST: John Sinopoli, co-organizer of savehospitality.ca.
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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- How a Nfld. funeral home became the centre of Canada’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak
Wednesday, April 8th 2020
When Shannon Fleming's loved ones gathered to mourn her passing, there hadn't yet been any official bans on gatherings of this size in Newfoundland. Attendees remember it as a normal funeral, though the funeral home says it took precautions.
A week later, someone who had visited the funeral home tested positive for COVID-19. More and more positive tests followed. Now it's Canada's largest single outbreak, and what should have been a farewell that drew a community together has become the centre of suspicion and anger between neighbours.
GUEST: Greg Mercer, The Globe and Mail (Read Greg's story right here.)
We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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