Liverpool-Wellcome Trust engage Malawi media in health reporting
The Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust on Friday engaged journalists at Malaria Alert Centre in Blantyre for a workshop under the theme, ‘Health Research Now Radio Project Media Training’.
Science Communications Officer from Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust, Tamara Chipasula said that the objective of the workshop was to help both journalists and scientists to understand the ethics of reporting health research findings.
“We also thought it wise to take this workshop as a platform to journalists, editors and researchers for them to understand the processes and challenges of reporting science in Malawi. We also expect journalists to understand the basic research process and user-friendly medical jargons,” said Chipasula
In his presentation, The Nation newspaper managing editor Edward Chitsulo emphasized that journalists need to make health research findings stories in an interesting away in order to attract readers to have a grip on the story.
Chitsulo also stressed that most of the times it becomes difficult for journalists to report health research findings due to lack of basic health research information.
He, however, cautioned journalists to be objectivity, fairness, minimizing harm when reporting issues on health because they are sensitive.
Journalism trainer at the Polytechnic, Zeleza Manda urged journalists to make follow-ups in their health research findings in order to let the general public have the out-come information of the
research.
Manda said that most journalists report whenever a research is in process without even bothering to follow –up on its findings.
Some of the media houses, who were in attendance during the workshop, were from Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Malawi Television, The Nation Newspaper, Malawi News Agency, Zodiac, Nyasa Times, Daily Times, Power FM 101 and Radio Islam.
From the medical experts, Dr Mac Mallewa and Professor Malcom Molyneux of the College of Medicine , University of Malawi were also in attendance.
