  | | Thanks for being patient... I took a couple of weeks off, then redesigned the listserv (yes, again), and the Health and Media website. I haven't finished the website yet, but it should be ready to be used in a week or two. Also, I would like to thank those of you who sent in emails with your comments and/or articles - of note is former Health and Media course participant, Dipankar Chawkravorty, who, in his article, reminds us that malaria isn't the only disease mosquitoes transmit. | | Left: Dipankar Chawkravorty |
It's Africa Malaria Day on Tuesday, April 25... yes, there are still ways to make a programme or write feature on malaria that can interest a general audience.
Having trouble coming up with an idea? Your first step should be to review your malaria knowledge. Have a look at the malaria links over there on the right side of this page. You may be surprised at how fast an interesting story idea will come to mind just by skimming over related information. Some things keep in mind: 1. Remember to include those directly affected - the people on the "front-line"... the patients, their families and others who live in their village. 2. Local community medical centres are full of interesting, knowledgeable characters who are often underappreciated and overlooked. 3. If you must have input from a Government official, make it short, and only include vital information. If you are broadcasting more than 10 seconds of comments by The Minister for "Boredom", his/her information has to be "earth-shattering" ...something directly affecting your audience. .... good luck - and, don't forget to pass along a copy of your work - I'll put it on the Health and Media website. Radio producers may want to "pitch" your idea to The National Radio Project. They pay US $150 - US $300 for a 6-8 minute segment (details in section 4. Opportunities).
When you applied for your latest job, you may have included a list of "computer skills" on your CV/resume. Some people take this as an opportunity to make a list of how many computer programmes they have every heard of, when they should have included a list of how many they can actually use. If your are one of the many journalists struggling to cope with multi-media related broadcasting and journalism, you might want to visit "I train Online" (link: Section 3. Resources). Lessons on audio casting, video casting, and other areas of training for multi-media are on offer - it' free . Eventually, you might be able back up your claim as a "multi-media expert" before the boss finds out about your lesser-known talents as a fiction writer. Finally, I would like to welcome two new listserv members including, John Kamau, a print media editor from Nairobi, Kenya, along with Sanday Chongo Kabange, a freelance journalist and multimedia specialist from Lusaka, Zambia. Sanday was formerly the Business Editor for Zambia's Weekly Angel Newspaper, and a News Consultant for the largest radio station in the country. Colin Lloyd Listserv Moderator, South Africa
1. Member contributions: >> Emails + KP Madhu, Programme Manager, Asian Pacific Institute for Broadcast Development, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia "The UN is currently looking at terminology that is widely used and find some inappropriate. Please try and use more precise terms in your journalistic practice. I give the older version and the recommended versions after a hyphen.
- HIV/AIDS - HIV unless specifically referring to AIDS
- HIV/AIDS epidemic - AIDS epidemic or HIV epidemic
- HIV/AIDS prevalence - HIV prevalence
- HIV/AIDS prevention - HIV prevention
- HIV/AIDS testing - HIV testing
- People living with HIV/AIDS - People living with HIV" + Pius Sawa Murefu, Radio Reporter, News anchor Feature producer and presenter, Kampala, Uganda "I am impressed by the steps Lucky Mulumba is taking towards the sickle cell disease in Uganda. Please give her my contact so that I can introduce her to all the people running the sickle cell clinic." + Lucky Mulumba, USAF Nurse cop, Registered Nurse, San Antonio, Texas, USA "Thanks for including me on the listserv. This will be helpful in the future. Also can you let me know of any meetings or work shops etc if at all come up that I can be of any use. Especially pertaining in sickle cell disease in Uganda. Also, let me know how I can help. It could be educating, I do not mind volunteering my time etc." >> Articles + Dipankar Chawkravorty , Staff Correspondent, United News of Bangladesh, Dhaka Reproductive health care: a basic human right Muktar Ali has lost his desire to live long as the youth has been detached gradually from his family members and others for being affected with a disease a simple tablet could prevent. Ali’s is not a one-off case--thousands of people are subject to similar social stigmas in Bangladesh only for a lack of awareness about the crippling ailment, filariasis... read more + Nsai Aristos, Correspondent, Yaounde, Cameroon Traditional Healers gain credibility in Cameroon "Traditional -practitioners and medical doctors in Cameroon are in logger heads over the cure for HIV/AIDS and other ailments using traditional medicines.
Although many modern doctors in Cameroon say that many traditional healers are charlatans, the country's Ministry of Health is starting to recognise the importance of their medicine. Though, critics are concerned with unsubstantiated claims of healing, such as a cure for the HIV/AIDS.
This "tug of war" has inspired the Health Minister to work on how traditional practitioners and medics can work together. Though medics say they have very little in common, traditional practitioners they all have one goal: healing.
2. Health news: + Malaria | U.S. Journalist Association To Visit Tanzania To Increase Coverage of African Issues, Including Malaria A group of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists plans to visit Tanzania in May in an effort to increase media coverage and awareness of issues affecting Africa. Read more + Africa Malaria Day This year's Africa Malaria Day, held on April 25, will focus on universal access to artemisinin-based combination therapies. The Web site includes press releases, media coverage, event listings and resources. Read more + A study claims that the Combined Use of Antiretrovirals, Antibiotic, ITNs Could Reduce Malaria Incidence Among HIV-Positive People By 95% The combined use of antiretroviral drugs, the antibiotic cotrimoxazole and insecticide-treated nets could reduce the incidence of malaria among HIV-positive people by up to 95%, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of the Lancet, Reuters UK reports. Read more Latest Health headlines: World Latest Health headlines: Africa
3. Resources: I Train Online For those who would like to learn more about multimedia journalism http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/multimedia. shtml
3. Opportunities: National Radio Project Get paid to Be a part of their syndicated radio programme http://www.radioproject.org/production/subguide.html | 
