Journalists trained in health reporting
• Guard against fake news
A recent journalism workshop in Rwanda was designed to strengthen journalists' abilities to translate and communicate scientific data, as well as to establish an enabling atmosphere for consistent reporting on public health in Africa.
Tuyeimo HaidulaKIGALI
Journalists from across Africa, including Namibia, received science journalism training and how to explain scientific discoveries and advances to their audiences in Kigali, Rwanda, last week.
Dr Candice Bailey, the strategic initiatives editor at The Conversation Africa, and Ina Skosana, the health and medicine editor at The Conversation Africa, trained journalists on science communication at the second International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2022).
The training workshop was facilitated by the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Rwandan government, in partnership with SciDev.Net and The Conversation Africa.
It was designed to develop the capacity of journalists to translate and communicate science-related data and broadly create an enabling environment for consistent reporting on public health in Africa.
Find the right experts
Bailey advised journalists to ensure that the persons they interview have expertise in the area and field they wish to report on.
She said this is non-negotiable if the reporter is to put out clear and concise information to their audiences.
“At The Conversation, you need to be an academic to write for us. We need to check if you have the capacity. When interviewing someone who is potentially an expert on a story, you should be asking them what backs them up; what their credentials are. Sometimes it can feel insulting (for the next person), but it is a very important step if you want to make sure you have the right person to do the job,” she stressed.
Bailey said in addition to finding the right experts, journalists should ask questions, stick to facts, remove emotion, and verify information before putting it out in the public by doing research or cross-checking with other experts in the field.
Fake news
Bailey said journalists should be aware that fake news and propaganda are not only driven by the layman, but that senior and public figures, including presidents, can also spread fake news and cause havoc. She used the example of former American President Donald Trump’s tweets on Covid-19
She urged journalists to constantly ask themselves what the truth is and how they can put it out in the public domain.
“There were so many sources of information that we had at our fingertips. We live in the information age. The lesson to learn is that fake news does not always come from underground sources who are wearing masks and hiding. It can come from presidents or official sources. It is something we need to think about and tackle when reporting on public health emergencies,” Bailey said.
Ask questions
She said that although journalists may sometimes feel they do not want to ask a question because they are going to sound dumb, they should ask anyway.
“Your job is to find out what is happening. You need to ask questions that can help you get to the truth,” Bailey said.
Skosana said it is important to capture how science and knowledge evolve. With HIV, she said this happens over years, but with Covid-19, new developments can take place over the span of hours.
“Another importance of reflecting these changes is about your credibility as a journalist. If it was raining yesterday and today it is sunny, it does not mean that you were lying. News is the first draft of history,” Skosana said.
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Journalists from across Africa, including Namibia, received science journalism training and how to explain scientific discoveries and advances to their audiences in Kigali, Rwanda, last week.
Dr Candice Bailey, the strategic initiatives editor at The Conversation Africa, and Ina Skosana, the health and medicine editor at The Conversation Africa, trained journalists on science communication at the second International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA 2022).
The training workshop was facilitated by the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Rwandan government, in partnership with SciDev.Net and The Conversation Africa.
It was designed to develop the capacity of journalists to translate and communicate science-related data and broadly create an enabling environment for consistent reporting on public health in Africa.
Find the right experts
Bailey advised journalists to ensure that the persons they interview have expertise in the area and field they wish to report on.
She said this is non-negotiable if the reporter is to put out clear and concise information to their audiences.
“At The Conversation, you need to be an academic to write for us. We need to check if you have the capacity. When interviewing someone who is potentially an expert on a story, you should be asking them what backs them up; what their credentials are. Sometimes it can feel insulting (for the next person), but it is a very important step if you want to make sure you have the right person to do the job,” she stressed.
Bailey said in addition to finding the right experts, journalists should ask questions, stick to facts, remove emotion, and verify information before putting it out in the public by doing research or cross-checking with other experts in the field.
Fake news
Bailey said journalists should be aware that fake news and propaganda are not only driven by the layman, but that senior and public figures, including presidents, can also spread fake news and cause havoc. She used the example of former American President Donald Trump’s tweets on Covid-19
She urged journalists to constantly ask themselves what the truth is and how they can put it out in the public domain.
“There were so many sources of information that we had at our fingertips. We live in the information age. The lesson to learn is that fake news does not always come from underground sources who are wearing masks and hiding. It can come from presidents or official sources. It is something we need to think about and tackle when reporting on public health emergencies,” Bailey said.
Ask questions
She said that although journalists may sometimes feel they do not want to ask a question because they are going to sound dumb, they should ask anyway.
“Your job is to find out what is happening. You need to ask questions that can help you get to the truth,” Bailey said.
Skosana said it is important to capture how science and knowledge evolve. With HIV, she said this happens over years, but with Covid-19, new developments can take place over the span of hours.
“Another importance of reflecting these changes is about your credibility as a journalist. If it was raining yesterday and today it is sunny, it does not mean that you were lying. News is the first draft of history,” Skosana said.
[email protected]
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