UNICEF Holds 2-Day Workshop to Upskill Journalists Covering Health Issues

By Mohammed Rayees ur Rahim

Dehradun: A two-day workshop on evidence-based health journalism was conducted by UNICEF here to help the journalists learn how to spot fake news and verify the content based on evidence before reporting on health matters. 

Over 150 journalists, RJs from private FM and journalism students from Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) and Shoolini University (Himachal Pradesh) attended UNICEF's Critical Appraisal Skills (CAS) Workshop. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme(CASP) was conceptualised by UNICEF in association with Oxford University, Thomson Reuters and IIMC to upskill the media students and health journalists and build their capacities in covering the health issues more effectively. The course has been added as an elective module in their curriculum by MANUU and IIMC.

Delivering her remarks at the inauguration of the workshop, Zafrin Chowdhury, Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, UNICEF India said CAS plays a huge role in building a holistic 360-degree science-based communication narrative and undertaking capacity-building of media to counter any misinformation.

“Misinformation is perhaps the only thing more contagious than the virus. It spreads fast and poses an imminent threat to public health safety. Media has an essential role as a stakeholder to ensure an effective two-way communication, so that ground realities are channelled back to policy makers for an effective uptake of vaccination and overall health management,” Zafrin Chowdhury said, who joined the workshop online. 

During a panel discussion on Application of CAS and Challenges, Pankaj Pachuari, Senior Journalist and Former Communications Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) under Dr Manmohan Singh, spoke about the dangers of misinformation and how media can play an important role in fighting the spread of misinformation and disinformation. 

Mainak Chatterjee, Health Specialist, UNICEF India, who joined the workshop online, spoke on Routine Immunization and Zero dose children and said the global pandemic dented India’s immunisation programme. He said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of children with zero dose increased sharply to three million in 2020, however, they were able to arrest further backsliding and the number dropped to 2.7 million in 2021 with catchup programmes Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3. 

In view of vaccine hesitancy observed in some rural parts of the country, the panel speakers stressed on countering misinformation and promoting scientific temperament among the people through credible news coverage on vaccinations. In her speech on ‘Nourishing bodies and minds’, Dr. Gayatri Singh, Child Development Specialist, UNICEF India, said merely feeding babies is not enough unless it's a nutritious diet. She insisted on feeding right to the babies for natural growth in children.

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Madhurendra Sinha, Former Editor, Navbharat Times, Sanjay Abhigyan, Former Executive Editor, Amar Ujala, Dehradun, and Prof Rajib Dasgupta, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU and Muralikrishnan Chinnadurai, Internews Health Journalism Network Ambassador for India also spoke on the CAS and its applications in health journalism at the workshop.