By
Jessica Weiss
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Declan Okpalaeke, Photo: courtesy of ICFJ
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Reporters who cover health in Africa
have a new way to sharpen their understanding of the beat and connect with
others in the field: the African Health Journalists Association website.
The site, which features
learning resources, health reporting best practices and a vibrant network of
more than 200 journalists and experts, launches this week at the 2013 African Media Leaders Forum in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
The association, which was formed in
June 2012 as the first continent-wide professional association of health
journalists, hopes to use the site to advance the professional development of
journalists who cover health, raise the profile of health stories in the media
and promote dialogue and understanding between journalists and experts. All
this, it believes, can have a direct effect on the health of Africans.
“We want to see improvement in health
infrastructure and systems, such as through improved maternal and child health
and decreased mortality rates,” said Declan Okpalaeke, a Nigerian journalist who is
leading the association as part of his ICFJ Knight International Journalism
Fellowship. “We want to see the media setting the agenda for policy makers, for
health systems and for health institutions.”
Okpalaeke said the site
is a “one-stop shop” for health news and information in Africa. It features training videos and access to a range of experts.
Resource manuals and fact sheets can help
journalists with key information on topics such as vaccines and obesity. The
site also provides a constantly updated list of health-related conferences and events
and highlights outstanding examples of health stories from across the region.
The site will also help facilitate one
of AHJA’s key goals: to connect journalists who want to collaborate on
cross-border stories. Regular online discussions and courses will help get them
started.
“Through our network, we can link up
journalists to do cross-border stories and see how health situations compare in
their countries,” Okpalaeke said. “There are always lessons to learn from other
journalists covering the same issues.”
Source: http://ijnet.org
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