Journalists urged to question official narratives on COVID-19

As we continue grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists have been urged to question official narratives by calling out or unmasking public officials when what they say does not seem to make sense.

Journalists have a responsibility to hold officials (those in government, civil society and health experts in charge of the COVID-19 response) accountable, noted Dr. Peter Mwesige, the executive director of the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), a professional organization that promotes excellence in journalism and mass communication.

Mwesige made the remarks at a recent virtual public dialogue (webinar) organised by the Knowledge Management and Evidence Response Unit (KERU) at the Makerere School of Public Health.

In addition, Mwesige, whose discussion focused on areas of capacity building for journalists, urged them to endeavor to provide context to their audiences by explaining pronouncements made by officials or illuminating new developments.

He explained that providing context for audiences will enable them to appreciate the official pronouncements and take the desired action.

The dialogue, which was held under the theme "Harnessing the Media in Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda: Journalists' Experiences, Lessons and Implications", was organised to examine how to effectively harness the contributions of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar epidemics.

Speaking on behalf of KERU, Dr. Aloysius Senyonjo underscored the role of media in fighting COVID-19, noting that they are key in disseminating information, thus linking evidence from research to formulation of policy.

Senyonjo noted that as COVID-19 spread across the world, journalists, media houses and social media platforms found themselves at the centre and frontline of gathering, synthesizing and transmitting information on the pandemic.

He explained that they decided to organise the webinar after a recent seminar by KERU revealed that there were gaps in effectively harnessing the media's unique contribution in disseminating research and evidence so as to support effective response to COVID-19.

Senyonjo acknowledged the fact that media have remained the main source of information for the greater public and have been at the center of shaping narratives and the direction of national and global response.

Similarly, Mwesige, who commended journalists for going to great lengths to tell the COVID-19 story, urged them to be accurate in their reporting.

He noted that during such challenging times, media's role in providing accurate information to the public becomes critical as the public needs accurate information to evaluate the risks and understand the necessary protective and precautionary measures they should take.

More so, leaders and policy makers also need accurate information to shape their response towards the pandemic, noted Mwesige. He also emphasised it to journalists that providing accurate information includes debunking myths and misinformation.

In addition, the senior public relations officer in the health ministry, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, noted that there is a lot of information, especially on social media, some of which is false. On this note, he advised journalists to verify information before disseminating it.

He urged them to look for information from the right channels such as official websites and verified social media accounts.

Ainebyoona also urged journalists to endeavor to balance their articles with a diversity of voices and avoid single sourced stories. He also reminded them about ethical considerations in reporting COVID-19 to protect the identities of the patients and their contacts to reduce stigma and encourage people to seek medical advice if they suspect anything.

Ainebyoona concluded by reminding journalists to protect themselves by wearing masks and observing SOPs.

On the other hand, Senyonjo called on stakeholders to acknowledge the contribution made by media in disseminating information and advised them to concretise their relationship with media.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is just one of the public health matters that media have reported on widely and created debate around. Others are malaria, National Health Insurance Scheme and universal health coverage in addition to maternal mortality, which are all public health matters."

Sharing their experiences with covering COVID-19, journalists noted that their work was greatly slowed down due to the ban on public transport which necessitated them to share company cars and they did not have the freedom to move on their own.

Other challenges faced by journalists include handling uncertainties, changing information, restrictions in social interactions, in addition to complexity in the terms and conditions of role bearers. In some incidents, journalists at the frontlines have been victims of abuse - physically and psychologically.

Recommendations

From the discussion, the following recommendations were made to journalists, state agencies, civil society, media support organizations, researchers, and members of the academia.

-Stakeholders should improve the capacity of media to cover pandemics by providing training for journalists because this is a learning moment.

-State agencies should share information transparently, for example about expenditure, because the public needs to know this information.

-More officials should make themselves accessible to journalists so as to have a diversity of voices and opinions.

-Health experts and those in the academia need to make new research and new knowledge about the pandemic accessible to journalists and ultimately the ordinary person. They can achieve this through breaking down the jargon while communicating to journalists, writing expert opinions and commentaries in media for public consumption.

-Experts need to improve their own media literacy and understand how to relate with media, so as to be able to engage more effectively with media, address press conferences effectively, write compelling opinions or make the most of social media.

-Civil society should share research on their response to the pandemic. Many are involved in research or providing support, and their experiences in the communities where they work involve many lessons which need to be shared.

-Civil society organizations should work towards promoting and protecting press freedom and freedom of expression.

-Regulators, like UCC, should also promote an environment that supports free flow of information and protect the right to free expression.

-Media support organisations, such as ACME and Human Rights Network for Journalists should provide specialized training on health and epidemics to help journalists deepen their knowledge on complex issues and provide resources that can support coverage.

-Support could be in terms of story ideas, research on media performance, backgrounders, or relevant sources of information. They could also offer story grants to support in-depth and investigative reporting, monitor coverage and provide feedback to journalists in addition to recognising excellence in reporting.

-Media houses should invest more in impactful, in-depth reporting and investigative journalism; invest in safety of journalists, in addition to providing more space and time for information that is of use to the public.

-Internally, media houses should develop policies and guidelines for covering epidemics, establish and maintain health reporting desks managed by journalists and editors who have interest and are passionate about covering health stories.

-Media houses should also invest in research desks for verification and fact checking functions.

-Public health experts should work in a collaborative manner with journalists.