COVID-19: Indian children orphaned by the pandemic The institute has included all those journalists who died after getting infected while covering news in the field or working in offices. These range from reporters at media organizations, stringers, freelancers, photojournalists and journalists. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana account for most of the deaths. 'Treat journalists as frontline workers' Journalists are particularly at risk of contracting the virus as many are required to visit hospitals, crematoriums and other high-risk locations to highlight the problems faced by the public during the pandemic. Despite the heightened risk and rising toll, journalists haven't been designated as frontline workers in most states. This has meant that they were not given priority in the vaccination program in those places.