Mozambique: SNJ organizes training on COVID-19 coverage

Journalists in Mozambique have been trained on how to cover the Covid-19 outbreak safely, thanks to the National Union of Journalists of Mozambique (SNJ).

The union-organized special training workshop, held in Maputo on 14 May, was the first in a series of training programs for journalists on the pandemic.

Organized in collaboration with the World Health Organization, UNESCO and the Ministry of Health the training brought together 19 journalists from various Mozambican public and private media.

The training was conducted by specialized personnel from the National Health Institute. Future training programs will target journalists in the remaining eight provincial capitals.

The course aims to train participants to conduct scientific-based interviews of the various actors involved in the process of responding to Covid-19; disseminate accurate information about the virus and to help with the containment of the pandemic, explaining what actions to take if a person has symptoms and take self-protection measures against Covid-19 when working.

Health specialists discussed and performed practical exercises with journalists, topics related to the origin, characteristics and diagnosis of Coronavirus, including ways of transmission, symptoms and signs of infection and the available practices for its treatment. 

Participants also learned about prevention measures for journalists, the surveillance mechanisms applied in Mozambique to monitor the outbreak and the role of media in the response to coronavirus.

At the end of the training, the participants visited the Laboratory of the National Institute of Health, where laboratory tests on the disease are carried out daily and received a certificate of participation.

The SNJ said: “This training is organized to build the capacities of journalists in all the ten provinces of Mozambique to cover Covid-19. This is the first of a series of trainings to improve the Mozambican journalists understanding and coverage of the pandemic”.

For more Information, please contact the IFJ - Africa Office

1st Floor, Maison de la Presse, 5 Rue X Corniche, Medina,

BP 64257, Dakar, Senegal

Tel: +221- 33 867 95 86/87; Fax: +221- 33 827 02