From 10 to 12 November 2021, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized on online training course on the coverage of the pandemic and other health-related issues in the media.
The three-day event brought together journalists from the country’s leading print, broadcast and online media, representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Medical Industry, and lecturers from the journalism faculties of the Institute of International Relations of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Magtymguly State University, and the International University for Humanities and Development
International experts from Israel and the Russian Federation provided detailed information on professional standards and the responsibilities of journalists when covering public health topics, including pandemics, content criteria for media messages and how to draw attention to media information. The course also addressed popular media formats and their effective use, data collection, information sources, and search techniques.
“While the media became a key instrument in raising awareness of the public about COVID-19, the pandemic posed new challenges to journalists, namely to disseminate accurate information in order to minimize rumour and misinformation and help prevent panic among the population, and help change people’s behaviour and attitudes in order to limit the spread of diseases,” said William Leaf, Political Officer at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“Journalists are particularly powerful, because they are on the front line when it comes to informing the public about urgent news, especially on health security,” he added.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized this course in order to familiarize Turkmenistan’s media personnel with new approaches and techniques needed to produce interesting, high-quality reporting on the pandemic and other health issues.
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Source: Centre of OSCE in Ashgabat.
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