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At training, journalists ask to be identified as frontline workers during emergencies

As part of efforts to equip journalists to effectively report infectious diseases especially during pandemic outbreaks, a training was held last week for journalists in Oyo State to keep them abreast of issues surrounding outbreak of diseases, what the public needs to know and getting adequate information on ongoing efforts to tackle diseases in the state.

The training was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Oyo State Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Oyo State Chapter. Journalists were trained on identifying, preventing and reporting diseases like the COVID-19 pandemic, monkey pox, yellow fever, cholera, Lassa fever, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases and the role of vaccination.

The training, which had in attendance journalists from major print, broadcast and online media houses in the state, was to strengthen and broaden the knowledge of journalists on infectious diseases, set agenda for sensitising the public and enlighten them on how to channel their reports on health-related issues in a way that would teach people on preventive measures than creating fear in the society.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Media Role in Disease Emergency Response,’ the chairperson of Oyo NAWOJ, Jadesola Ajibola, urged all tiers of government, security agencies and development partners to recognise journalists as frontline workers during emergencies.

“We need to recognise journalists as frontline workers during emergencies. We should be seen and addressed as frontline workers and should be given hazard allowances. We report and sacrifice a lot and we put in a lot of work during the COVID-19 period just like health workers and other professionals but when the government wants to give incentives and donate items, they give to health workers not minding that journalists are the ones reporting all these events.

“We want the government, WHO and other agencies to see journalists as part of the people at the forefront during emergencies. We do a lot of work during emergencies like the outbreak of COVID-19,” she said.

She also charged journalists to always ensure that their health reports are based on nothing but facts and accuracy, urging them to always seek the opinion of experts to make their reports accurate, just as she emphasised the importance of positive angles to health-based stories.

According to her, negative stories create fear in the society and may add to the problem as people begin to doubt and may use disbelief to counter fear, adding that people will love to read preventive measures and precautions rather than scary figures all the time.

“We will do a lot of good to members of the public only if we can base our reports on preventive measures than reporting the hazard or negative sides of the stories,” she added.

The Oyo State Coordinator of WHO, Dr Phillips Zorto in his goodwill message at the training, admonished journalists to ensure that their health reports are validated by experts before publishing, noting that media practitioners should be able to set agenda on health reportage instead of creating panic in members of the public.

“Media have so much power, that is the reason I want to believe that the Oyo State government through the State Ministry of Health organised this training so that you can go and spread this information not only at the state capital but be disseminated at every nook and cranny of Oyo State so that people can see the magnitude of the problem we have at hand,” he said.

In her welcome address, the Oyo State Director of Public Health, Dr Olubunmi Ayinde, said the capacity training was an opportunity to enlighten journalists about epidemiology diseases in order to educate members of the public.

Presenting the health situation report on epidemic diseases, the Oyo State Disease Notification Officer, Mrs. Titilope Akinleye said that over 85,000 samples were collected for COVID -19 testing, 10,318 were confirmed, 10,060 recovered while 202 deaths were recorded.

Dr. Akinfemi Akinyode, the state epidemiologist, in his address noted that the training was organised to ensure that journalists have the necessary information about COVID-19 and other diseases so that appropriate messages can be passed to the members of the public.

Also in attendance at the training were information officers from some selected local government areas of the state, Dr Oluwabukola Alawale, incident manager for COVID-19; Dr Adeniyi Adeniran, incident manager for tuberculosis; Dr Oluyinka Dania, cluster consultant; and Mr. John Akinoye, the state liaison officer for NCDC, among others.

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