Institute of Development Studies, at the University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RE, UK.
Health Res Policy Syst. 2011 Jun 16;9 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S7. doi: 10.1186/1478-4505-9-S1-S7.
The mass media have excellent potential to promote good sexual and reproductive health outcomes, but around the world, media often fail to prioritize sexual and reproductive health and rights issues or report them in an accurate manner. In sub-Saharan Africa media coverage of reproductive health issues is poor due to the weak capacity and motivation for reporting these issues by media practitioners. This paper describes the experiences of the African Population and Health Research Center and its partners in cultivating the interest and building the capacity of the media in evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
The paper utilizes a case study approach based primarily on the personal experiences and reflections of the authors (who played a central role in developing and implementing the Center's communication and policy engagement strategies), a survey that the Center carried out with science journalists in Kenya, and literature review.
The African Population and Health Research Center's media strategy evolved over the years, moving beyond conventional ways of communicating research through the media via news releases and newspaper stories, to varying approaches that sought to inspire and build the capacity of journalists to do evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues. Specifically, the approach included 1) enhancing journalists' interest in and motivation for reporting on reproductive health issues through training and competitive grants for outstanding reporting ; 2) building the capacity of journalists to report reproductive health research and the capacity of reproductive health researchers to communicate their research to media through training for both parties and providing technical assistance to journalists in obtaining and interpreting evidence; and 3) establishing and maintaining trust and mutual relationships between journalists and researchers through regular informal meetings between journalists and researchers, organizing field visits for journalists, and building formal partnerships with professional media associations and individual journalists.
Our experiences and reflections, and the experiences of others reviewed in this paper, indicate that a sustained mix of strategies that motivate, strengthen capacity of, and build relationships between journalists and researchers can be effective in enhancing quality and quantity of media coverage of research.
大众媒体在促进良好的性健康和生殖健康结果方面具有巨大潜力，但在世界各地，媒体往往未能优先重视性健康和生殖健康及权利问题，或者未能以准确的方式报道这些问题。在撒哈拉以南非洲，由于媒体从业者报道这些问题的能力和积极性较弱，媒体对生殖健康问题的报道很差。本文介绍了非洲人口与健康研究中心及其合作伙伴在培养媒体对基于证据的生殖健康问题报道的兴趣和能力方面的经验，这些经验来自于中心在撒哈拉以南非洲开展的以证据为基础的生殖健康问题报道的交流和政策参与战略。
本文主要采用案例研究方法，基于作者（在制定和实施中心的交流和政策参与战略方面发挥了核心作用）的个人经验和反思、中心在肯尼亚对科学记者进行的调查以及文献回顾。
非洲人口与健康研究中心的媒体战略多年来不断发展，从通过新闻稿和报纸报道等传统方式通过媒体传播研究成果，发展到采取各种不同的方法，力求激发和培养记者对生殖健康问题进行基于证据的报道的能力。具体而言，该方法包括：1）通过培训和为优秀报道提供竞争性赠款，提高记者对报道生殖健康问题的兴趣和积极性；2）通过为双方提供培训并为记者提供获取和解释证据的技术援助，提高记者报道生殖健康研究的能力和生殖健康研究人员向媒体传播研究成果的能力；3）通过记者和研究人员之间的定期非正式会议、组织记者实地考察以及与专业媒体协会和个别记者建立正式伙伴关系，在记者和研究人员之间建立和维护信任和相互关系。
我们的经验和反思以及本文中回顾的其他人的经验表明，激励、加强记者和研究人员之间的能力建设并建立关系的综合战略可以有效提高媒体对研究的报道的质量和数量。
