CNET’s Guglielmo talks about how the pandemic changed tech news

Summer Falgiano spoke with CNET editor in chief Connie Guglielmo on her “Badasses in Tech” podcast about how the pandemic changed tech news.

After working for Bloomberg News and other media organizations, Guglielmo has been in charge of news at CNET for the past six years. “My jobs has really to bring back interest in CNET,” she said.

“I wanted to be part of a newsroom and show that we can be a valued news organization that can be valued and do good work,” said Guglielmo. “This is a career that is worth time and attention and be part of a democracy.”

When the pandemic hit, CNET sent its reporters and editors home. But unlike a lot of other newsrooms, its staff was already tech savvy and using their phones to shoot videos and communicating via Slack and other technologies. “We really didn’t miss a beat,” she said.

The challenge, said Guglielmo, was that its staffers were living at work. It meant that they had to embrace and understand that their workday needed to become more flexible.

“We plotted out when people could work,” she said, staggering schedules so that they could work around children and partner needs.

“We have had to figure out what the boundaries are,” said Guglielmo. She encouraged people not to apologize for having to take time off to handle personal issues.

To listen, go here.