S3 Ep 10: Coronavirus and Contagion: Laurie Chen and Richard Preston on Writing About the Spread of Disease

In this episode, South China Morning Post reporter Laurie Chen and bestselling science writer Richard Preston talk about the global panic over coronavirus, China’s response, and how societies defend themselves against viral outbreaks like Ebola. Chen talks to Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about how misinformation about coronaviruses spreads on social media; Preston discusses his nonfiction books The Hot Zone and Crisis in the Red Zone. To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). Guests: Laurie Chen Richard Preston Selected readings for the episode: Laurie Chen Outbreak has stoked a rise in xenophobia, Chinese living abroad say Will China’s city lockdowns stop the spread of the coronavirus? Wuhan doctors beaten up, overworked, under supplied Left at home disabled boy dies after carer isolated for virus checks China’s ‘demon’ virus leaves experts at odds on when infection rate will slow China coronavirus: YouTube and Twitter show realities of life in lockdown Live from Wuhan: millions tune in to watch China build hospitals China sends in military doctors to help fight coronavirus outbreak Wuhan coronavirus confirmed in 29 of China's 31 provinces China coronavirus: rush is on in Wuhan to build treatment centre for up to 1,000 patients Scientists debate whether China coronavirus came from bats or snakes Debunking the myths around China’s deadly coronavirus outbreak How Taiwan Strait tensions could hamper efforts to fight Wuhan virus Richard Preston Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus The Hot Zone: a six-part National Geographic mini-series Others To Be Asian With a Face Mask During the Coronavirus Outbreak (KQED) A Virus's Journey Across China (The Daily podcast) "Wuhan coronavirus" and the racist art of naming a virus by Marie Myung-Ok Lee (Salon) South China Morning Post coverage and interviews Coronavirus: Everything you need to know in a visual explainer (updated daily)  Coronavirus: A View From China Coronavirus outbreak Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices