CNN Reporter Breaks Down Reporting On Worsening COVID Crisis

Some have been fortunate enough to escape the deadly health dangers ravaging our world with COVID. For CNN reporter Sara Sidner, she may not have contracted the disease herself — but she’s certainly experienced the fallout first hand.

On Monday, she appeared on live camera to discuss the worsening state of the pandemic and the rising death toll in Los Angeles. As Sara attempted to deliver the latest update, saying she’d been to 10 hospitals, she choked up. She tried a couple more times to get out her message, but she ultimately broke down into tears.

In a display of genuine compassion, anchor Alisyn Camerota jumped in from the news desk and spoke on behalf of Sidner. With gentleness, Camerota thanked Sidner for her service and drew attention to the 48-year-old’s courage in dealing with the coverage of not only a pandemic but the response to George Floyd‘s death, many other recent social injustices, and the dumpster fire that generally made up the year 2020. Alisyn even seemed to hint that Sara’s pain was representative of all of our understandable struggles this year.

For Sara’s part, her actions this year have been truly commendable. In the Trump Era, where the media has been so unfairly condemned by his administration, Sara stepped up and continued to shed light on the state of our world, bringing truth and justice to the screens of millions. That could not have been easy, and we sometimes take for granted how hard that must be for people who work in the news industry.

Near the end of the broadcast, Sara bravely worked up the courage to talk once more — and used her ability to speak again to deliver an important message. She stressed:

“These families should not be going through this. No family should be going through this. Do whatever you can to keep this from killing your family members and your neighbors and your friends and your teachers and doctors and firefighters. All of these people are here to help you, but you have to do your part.”

Thank you, Sara, for saying what we collectively need to hear right now.

In this place where we have all been hurting so badly, it takes courage to show love the way we witnessed it in this broadcast — and it especially takes courage to speak up for what’s right. It takes a level of strength to step away from the anger, hate, and just generally disturbing treatment that we’ve seen — particularly from the people who have been allegedly leading America.

Right now, we needed to see this love and compassion between Sara and Alisyn. To not only see the warmth between two people but to also once again see the reminder that COVID is not a joke or something to take lightly.

Echoing this sentiment, Sara later tweeted out a message on January 12 that read:

“I’m still not okay after seeing the heartbreak in the City of Angels because of #coronavirus. I know that being there to see the destruction it’s doing to families is small in comparison to the pain the families feel.”

Check out the tweet below:

I’m still not okay after seeing the heartbreak in the City of Angels because of #coronavirus. I know that being there to see the destruction it’s doing to families is small in comparison to the pain the families feel. W @annamajaCNN https://t.co/6IgDWouYqz

— Sara Sidner (@sarasidnerCNN) January 12, 2021

Our hearts stand with everyone hurting right now, including Sara. Between violence in the world, COVID, and all the other injustices we’ve suffered together as of late, it’s been a tough time for us all. But despite the harsh reality of our times, we’ll continue to band together when we can. Hopefully soon, things will begin to return to a more peaceful time.

By the way, you can watch the video here (below):

Sobering—CNN reporter @sarasidnerCNN crying on air after seeing devastation at California 10 hospitals full of #COVID19 patients and witnessing countless parking lot funerals. This reporter has been to war zones & covered bombings. But COVID is next level. pic.twitter.com/yXEFikXUzc

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 12, 2021