By STELLA ROQUE
International Center for Journalists
As Dr. Samba Sow, a special envoy on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization, said in an International Center for Journalists webinar on March 24, containing the coronavirus pandemic is “all about education, information, sensitization.”
Journalists are the missing link, bringing vital facts to the public around the world.
“We are doctors.," Dr. Sow said. "I can treat someone, but we don’t know communication. We need you all.”
To help journalists around the world, ICFJ launched the Global Health Crisis Reporting Forum, in partnership with ICFJ’s International Journalists’ Network (IJNet). If you haven’t joined yet, please do so here. It’s the best way to stay connected. For more information, contact me at healthforum@icfj.org.
Here are upcoming webinars, which you can use to fulfill your Global Business Journalism lecture requirement. Make sure to fill out a reservation form for each session you wish to attend, mentioning your affiliation with Global Business Journalism.
Friday, March 27
Are Our Public Health Systems Prepared for COVID-19? A Talk With Dr. Claire Standley
Time and Place: March 27 at 9 a.m. EDT on Zoom/Facebook Live
Dr. Claire Standley, Ph.D., M.Sc., will talk about the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health systems around the world. Dr. Standley, an assistant research professor at Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security, will tell us in her expert view who's prepared, who's not, and who's doing the best job of responding. What have various countries failed to do in advance that they need to implement in the future to prevent pandemics like this one? What is this pandemic teaching us about preparedness? Join us for the webinar, moderated by ICFJ Director of Community Engagement Stella Roque.Register Now
Monday, March 30
COVID-19 & Migration: Problematic Linkages?
Time and Place: Monday, March 30 at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Zoom/Facebook Live
A talk and Q&A with Sarah Pierce and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan of the Migration Policy Institute, moderated by ICFJ Vice President of Content & Community Patrick Butler
In the race to slow the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world took aim at migration policies to keep the virus from crossing international borders. Border closures, travel restrictions and prohibitions on arrivals from certain areas were among the leading policy responses in the early days to keep this from becoming a full-blown global pandemic. But, can they work in today’s globalized world? And are politicians in some countries using the pandemic to advance migration policy agendas they could not by other means? Two experts from the Migration Policy Institute will examine the policies and developments that have thrust migration deep into the conversation and policy response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe and North America, in particular. They will look at the rhetoric around the outbreak, as well as whether politicians in some countries are using the disease to achieve migration policy advances they could not by other means.Register Now
Tuesday, March 31
Understanding Novel Coronavirus: Q&A With Dr. Angela Rasmussen, Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University
Time and Place: Tuesday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Zoom/Facebook Live
A Q&A with Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, moderated by ICFJ Senior Vice President of New Initiatives Sharon Moshavi
This Q&A session will help debunk myths concerning the novel coronavirus and provide real facts on what we know about COVID-19 so far. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, can answer your questions concerning the novel coronavirus, where it came from, how it’s transmitted and discuss the risks it poses. Register Now
Wednesday, April 1
Las investigaciones clínicas en curso para COVID-19 ¿Qué evidencia hay y qué podemos esperar?
Hora y lugar: miércoles 1 de abril a las 11:00 a.m. EDT en Zoom/Facebook Live
Una charla con Dra. Gabriela Minaya, Médico con especialidad en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Tropicales con estudios en Ética en Salud y Bioética, Webinar moderado por Fabiola Torres, ICFJ Knight Fellow (Salud con Lupa).
Los ensayos clínicos sobre las medicinas que están probándose para COVID-19. ¿Cuántos son? ¿Cuáles tienen evidencia y pueden reportarse como noticia en tiempos de una pandemia? La Dra. Gabriela Minaya, médico con especialidad en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Tropicales con estudios en Ética en Salud y Bioética, nos explicará sobre la calidad de la evidencia de estas investigaciones y lo que podemos esperar sobre el futuro de terapias para el nuevo coronavirus.Register Now
Friday, April 3
Journalism and Covid-19: Frontline Lessons From International News Organizations Reporting the Pandemic
Time and Place: April 3 at 9 a.m. EDT on Zoom/Facebook Live
Guests: Maria Ressa (Rappler, The Philippines); Branko Brkic (Daily Maverick, South Africa); Ritu Kapur (The Quint, India). Moderated by Julie Posetti, ICFJ Global Director of Research
This interactive panel brings together the editors and founders of three high-profile online news organizations based in the Philippines, South Africa, and India. The internationally celebrated founder, CEO, and editor in chief of Rappler, Maria Ressa, will join us from Manila, while the editor and co-founder of the Daily Maverick, Branko Brkic, will connect from Cape Town, and the founder and CEO of The Quint, Ritu Kapur, joins from New Delhi. They will discuss four key themes: 1. Leading and managing news organizations in the face of huge logistical and production challenges caused by the pandemic; 2. Confronting and addressing coronavirus-related disinformation through accountability journalism and community collaboration; 3. Dealing with the journalism safety and media freedom implications of the pandemic - local insights with global resonance - from countries where journalism was already under fire before the onset of COVID-19; 4. Building and maintaining communities when reversion to online engagement is essential in the context of the pandemic which prohibits physical events.Register Now
See the coverage of ICFJ's earlier webinars, including key quotes and recorded videos, with:
Dr. Samba Sow, a special envoy on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization
Valeria Román, editor of the World Federation of Science Journalists (in Spanish)
Dr. Karen Kotloff, head of the Division of Infectious Disease and Tropical Pediatrics at the University of Maryland
I encourage you to quote from these and other sessions in your own reporting, if helpful. If you have further questions for our expert panelists, let me know and I will see if I can put you in touch.
Also, make sure to check outIJNet's coverage of COVID-19, which includes tips on staying safe while reporting in the field, keeping your audience engaged and covering the pandemic from a non-science background.
Stella Roque is Director of Community Engagement at the International Center for Journalists in Washington. ICFJ is a founding partner in the Global Business Journalism program.