When the coronavirus hit South African shores in March 2020, every reporter suddenly had to become a health journalist.
That led to initiatives to create a scientifically accurate and yet accessible toolkit for those writing about COVID-19.
“Media practitioners have had to adapt to changing newsrooms, shifting societies, new technology and an ever-growing understanding about the nature of the virus that was and still is, dictating the way the world works,” states the recently launched Reporting the Pandemic Guide.
Ina Skosana who is The Conversation’s Africa Health and Medicine editor helped write the guide and hopes it will be easy to read.
“I hope that this guide will be one step closer to a journalist that is reporting in South Africa,” Skosana said at the launch of the guide on July 20.
Internews South Africa commissioned the guide after it became clear there was a major gap in the reporters' knowledge about how pandemics spread through communities.
The organisation worked with the South African National Editors’ Forum and fraycollege of Communications to produce the report. The guide is a manual to help journalists navigate both reporting and telling the story of the pandemic.
eNCA business reporter Heidi Giokos recalled having heightened fear when she first started covering COVID-19.
“I was overly cautious and paranoid,” she said.
The Reporting the Pandemic Guide urges journalists not to be paranoid and offers tips on relieving fear and anxiety. This includes breathing exercises, grounding techniques and awareness of physical stress.
The guide also highlights personal safety measures. Former Health-e News CEO Portia Kobue stressed the importance of adhering to the safety measures outlined in the guide.
“It is important that while journalists are running around with all the pressure of an unfolding story, they should really look after themselves,” Kobue said.
However, while journalists can take steps to safeguard their physical and mental health, no one is ever completely safe from COVID-19, especially while working from the frontline. The South African media industry has lost invaluable workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
One of these is Wandile Fana who contributed to the Reporting the Pandemic Guide. The editor and publisher died of Covid-19 complications in mid-June 2021.
Genuine Media publisher and editor Mbali Dhlomo said Fana was passionate about advancing the South African media sector.
“He was also vocal about the use of indigenous languages,” Dhlomo said, adding that she hopes the guide will be available in local languages in the future.
While the science of the coronavirus continues to evolve, Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism editor-in-chief Mia Malan said journalists must continue to keep up with advancements while being able to explain complex scientific concepts for a non-scientific audience.
“The most important thing is to break down science so it is accessible and people can make sense of it,” Malan said.
Kommentare