Doctor Ore Finnih, Senior Special Adviser on Health and COVID-19 Lagos Risk Communication Pillar Lead, has advised journalists to go beyond just reporting numbers but also report how the outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus has affected the lives of people.
While speaking at a Media Professional Training on COVID-19 Response for journalists as part of plans to egender Gender- sensitive and Social Inclusive reporting of COVID-19 related issues organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Health in collaboration with Lafiya Project, Dr Finnih also urged journalists to be professional in their reporting of the virus as she urged them to make more research and equip themselves with facts on the coronavirus.
Admonishing journalists to go beyond reporting daily casualty figures of COVID-19, Dr Finnih said: “When you report the scores, that is not a call to action, it is just reporting numbers and it does not really help people when we just report numbers.
“We all have a responsibility to dig deeper so that people can understand why it is important all the things we are saying to them to wash their hands and wear their masks.
“Really nobody can make them understand apart from the media.”
She added that journalists must torchlight and bring to fore the impact of the virus on people and how it has affected daily living.
She said: “Let us look for the human angle to all of these, what is the impact in market places, what has the impact made on families? What is the impact on children in school?”
She also added that “There is a prize to pay for everything and everybody has a role to play.
“Government has a role to play, the media has a role to play and individuals too in ensuring that the pandemic does not go beyond what it is now.
“I encourage all of us to play that role, not only in reporting but in our various circles.”
Wriiten By Tobi | Edited By TDNnewsroom
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