By David Swanson
"Good Morning! Would you mind staying a safe distance away?"

"Hi! Nice mask! Could you please wear it on your face instead of your chin?"

Helping people reduce the risk of spreading a deadly disease requires being willing to offend them.

And as they long for a return to normalcy, you should be preparing to be a lot more offensive.

By EDRi.org
In EDRi’s series on COVID-19, COVIDTech, we explore the critical principles for protecting fundamental rights while curtailing the spread of the virus, as outlined in the EDRi network’s statement on the pandemic. Each post in this series tackles a specific issue at the intersection of digital rights and the global pandemic in order to explore broader questions about how to protect fundamental rights in a time of crisis.

Journalists covering the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and their journalistic sources have faced access denials and retaliation for their reporting on the virus, press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders reports.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the killing of journalist Lyra McKee, Reporters  Without Borders (RSF) reported on the worrying press freedom climate in Northern  Ireland, including alarming ongoing threats to journalists covering organised crime  and paramilitary activities, and a troubling legal environment. RSF calls on the UK  authorities to address these serious issues as a matter of urgent priority to prevent  further acts of violence, and to improve the broader press freedom situation in  Northern Ireland and the wider UK. 

U.S Peace Council Statement
In early January 2020, the Trump Administration's assassination of a top Iranian general in Baghdad, Iraq brought the US and Iran to the brink of a major war. Understandably, that crisis shoved many other crises to the sidelines.