Entries by Callie Long | Internews Media Development Consultant

Fighting Fear and Stigma with Accurate Information

In July 2015, three months after the last person who had succumbed to the dreadful Ebola virus was buried, Liberians woke to the news that a 17-year old young man had died of the virus. Liberia was no longer considered Ebola-free. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words, “The only thing to fear is fear itself” have stayed […]

Data Offers Deeper Insight into Factors Related to Malaria Behaviors

Health journalists have long known the importance of mobilizing around days that mark specific public health events, such as World Malaria Day, which happens on April 25 this year. In countries where malaria is endemic, malaria is far more than just a disease or statistics. It is a story. Internews, one of HC3’s specialized partners, […]

Let’s Not Poison the Well – How the Media Can Help Combat Ebola-related Stigma

I’ve been reading a book on HIV prevention in which the French anthropologist, sociologist and physician, Didier Fassin [1] is quoted as saying that epidemics are moments of truth for society, when power and knowledge become manifest. I keep thinking of Fassin’s words in light of the Ebola outbreak, the fear and panic that is […]

Misinformation and Lack of Communication Can be Key Drivers of a Deadly Disease

Earlier this month Christopher Graves, CEO for Ogilvy Public Relations*, wrote that “managing Ebola will take powerful communication.” It’s a sensible and thoughtful blog about a horrible disease that is such a public health nightmare for the people of West Africa. His point that the “world’s scariest outbreak of Ebola […] may come down to […]

Not Such an Odd Couple: Building Trust Between Scientists and Journalists

If you’re a health journalist, some of your most important contacts are often the scientists working in any number of fields associated with health. They’re the ones who provide the context, the background and the caveats when it comes to writing a public health story based on evidence. At the heart of these professional relationships […]

Examining the Role of the Media in Global Health and Innovation; Insights from Unite for Sight

If you work in health communication, my guess is that you know the basics of writing: don’t use jargon, less is more, don’t use insiders’ language, check the spelling of names and so on. And if anyone was going to get you to do it, it was Eve Heyn, one of scores of presenters at […]

Getting the Story Right – Why Engaging the Media in Public Health Strategies Makes Sense

An assessment and media content analysis in 2012 by AVAC and USAID of seven1 East and Southern African countries cited Internews’ work with the media in Kenya as an example of best practice. The study looked at countries where Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision – VMMC in short – is being scaled up as an HIV […]