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The COVID-19 Pandemic and Lessons for Science Journalism in Africa
In a webinar jointly organized by UNESCO and SciDev.Net, African Journalists and Health Experts share knowledge on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lessons for Science Journalism in Africa
The emergence of COVID-19 comes with it an upsurge in rumours, controversies and fake news reported by media houses, which threatens public trust in media information about the pandemic. In the context of Africa, the explosion of fake news has in part been attributed to challenges in the acquisition, verification and dissemination of reliable information; ineffective interaction between scientists and journalists; and the training deficit in Science Journalism in Africa. With its key mandate in Science and Communication and Information, UNESCO is taking key measures to stop the spread of fear, panic and fake news on COVID-19. In this vein, the UNESCO Office for Eastern Africa collaborated with the SciDev.Net (one of the world鈥檚 leading source of reliable and authoritative news on science and development in the developing world) and other regional partners to organize a webinar on 25th November 2020 with the aim of documenting lessons learnt in overcoming the aforementioned challenges.
At the opening, Ms. Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for UNESCO Natural Sciences, emphasized the role of science in policy decisions about the pandemic and urged journalist to play instrumental roles in disseminating credible information through effective interaction with scientists.
Reiterating the timeliness of the webinar as a contribution to dealing with the 鈥榠nfodemic鈥, Ms Ann Therese Ndong Jatta, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa said 鈥 鈥淭he premise of this webinar, allows for a wider consultation on how quality science journalism in Africa could be enhanced to allow for the transmission of credible facts and proofs that inform policy decisions on the pandemic鈥.
The technical session of the webinar brought together reputable journalists and health experts who discussed the following:
(1) Lessons for the acquisition, verification and dissemination of reliable information
(2) Lessons for effective interaction between scientists and journalists
(3) Lessons for the training and capacity building of science journalists
The expert panel consisted of the following people:
Elizabeth (Lizz) Ntonjira, Global Communications Director, Amref Health Africa - In 2018, Lizz was named the Africa Youth Leader of the Year at the Africa Youth Awards. She was also listed as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Young Kenyans. The following year, Lizz was recognized as one the Most Influential Young Africans and as the Social Media Mover & Shaker in the annual U.S Social Shake- Up Awards. In 2012, while working for Nation Media Group, the largest media house in East and Central Africa, she was recognized as the Best TV Reporter on Gender and Development by the United Nations Population Fund Awards.
Hilary Bainemigisha, editor information and education hub at New Vision - Hilary is an editor/columnist with The New Vision, Uganda鈥檚 major daily newspaper with a significant online presence. He has been a very vocal and strategic advocate for HIV prevention research and has covered vaccine research extensively.
Monica Chibita, Professor & , , - Monica B. Chibita is Professor and Dean Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication and coordinator of the NORHED 鈥淏uilding capacity for a changing media environment鈥 project at Uganda Christian University (UCU). She has served on several Boards including Uganda鈥檚 Broadcasting Council, the New Vision Printing and Publishing Corporation, the African Centre for Media Excellence, the East Africa Communication Association, World Vision Uganda and World Vision International. She is Associate Editor of the Journal of African Media Studies (JAMS) and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals in the field including NORDICOM Review, Communication, and African Journalism Studies. She is a research mentor with AfriChild.
David Aduda, Nation Media Group - A seasoned media practitioner with more than 20 years鈥 experience. Communications expert, editor, trainer and media manager. Currently, Consulting Editor, Partnerships and Projects Management for the Nation Media Group.
Ifeanyi Osita, Radio Nigeria - Osita Ifeanyi, Senior Reporter, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
Charles Wendo, Training Coordinator SciDev.Net - Charles is a science journalist, a veterinarian, and a media trainer, and has over 16 years鈥 experience in journalism. He worked with the New Vision newspaper in Uganda as a science writer, science editor, Saturday Vision editor and Sunday Vision editor. He also worked with the Infectious Diseases Institute of Makerere University in Uganda as a communications specialist for two years.
Julien Chongwang, Regional Coordinator SciDev.Net Francophone Africa - Julien is a seasoned Cameroonian journalist and editor he started out as a crime reporter for the daily newspaper La Nouvelle Expression in Douala, Cameroon; later becoming the copyeditor for the newspaper. From 2007 to 2009, he collaborated from Douala with the French service of The Voice of America. Before coming to SciDev.Net, he was the editor-in-chief of Le Quotidien de l鈥橢conomie, a daily newspaper in Douala. At the same time, he was also working as a correspondent in Cameroon for the Moroccan economic daily newspaper, LES ECO.
Ochieng鈥 Ogodo, Regional Coordinator Scidev.Net Sub Saharan Africa English - Ochieng' is a Kenyan science journalist and is responsible for coordinating correspondents and coverage from Sub-Saharan Africa for SciDev.Net. He is the English-speaking Africa and Middle East region winner of the 2008 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards for Excellence in Environmental Reporting. Ochieng is the Chairman of the Kenya Environment and Science Journalists Association (KENSJA).
At the closing, Dr. Jayakumar Ramasamy, Senior Programme Specialist at UNESCO thanked all the participants and mentioned that the discussions shall lead to the development of a policy brief that makes suggestions for improving the role of Science Journalism in public health.
Free courses available with Science Development Network on Science Journalism:
Science communication skills for journalists: A free, self-paced online course to teach journalists how to report about science to the public
Media skills for scientists: A free online course to teach scientists how to use the media to reach non-scientists
Reporting the science of COVID-19: A free self-paced online course introducing journalists to credible COVID-19 news sources and empowering them to spot the news and report to their audiences.
