May 18, 2021
Course provides the tools journalists need to cover the most important news story of 2021
The biggest news stories of 2021 are about one topic: COVID-19 vaccines. To better support and equip journalists to report on vaccines now and in the future, Internews has launched
Let’s Talk Vaccines, an interactive e-learning course in five parts. Each of these handles a distinct facet of the story: vaccine
science,
logistics of rollout. The course also addresses how journalists can build vaccine
confidence through their reporting. A final module guides journalists through the
resources and
sources to trust and use as they continue to follow this story.
December 9, 2020
Two enterprising journalists in Africa turn a “problem platform” into the solution. Using WhatsApp groups to discuss controversial topics and debunk myths and misinformation on COVID-19, this short-term fix is growing into a long-term asset.
By Adèle Sulcas
Surge of disinformation
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with smartphones experienced a deluge of messages and videos on social media, largely made up of dangerous ‘advice’, xenophobia, hate speech, and conspiracy theories.
While European epidemics seemed to be stabilizing in March and April, these torrents of misinformation were circulating in developing countries. For journalists trying to separate truth from falsehood, this ‘infodemic’ made understanding more about the virus – and explaining it to the public – all the more difficult. This was especially troubling for journalists in developing countries where COVID-19 was still a relatively new phenomenon and where obtaini