Updated – Resources for journalists covering COVID-19 – African Centre for Media Excellence

General resources

World Health Organization press briefings – Visit this site for daily press briefings, statements and advisories on global responses to COVID-19. Follow the WHO AFRO region site for Africa-specific information.

Learn all the key coronavirus terms so you can report on the subject confidently. This glossary from Kaiser Family Foundation is a good place to start.

If you need public information content to use and adapt, visit Amref Health Africa. It has several handy information packs that you can reuse, maps and frequent updates on the responses of African countries to the pandemic. See also the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention for FAQs, media briefings, reports and publications.

The Journalist’s Toolbox has a current list of medical sites, tip sheets, trackers and relevant miscellaneous resources to add to your understanding and reporting on the new coronavirus.

Are you interested in reporting on the health sector response in your country? Use ProPublica’s list of ‘Five Questions Reporters Need to Ask Hospitals and Local Officials About Coronavirus’ to get you going. Ministries of health throughout Africa are also regularly updating their websites and social pages with their latest country information. Bookmark the relevant pages and follow your country’s response on social media.

Journalists Resource, an online reference desk of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, has a growing set of studies and analyses on coronavirus to aid your deep-dive into the subject. Start here:

Follow The Conversation Africa for background, analysis and commentary on COVID-19.

Coronavirus reporting resources

Start at Poynter for regular updates on tools and technology, story ideas, reporting strategies and media news on COVID-19. Although most of the Poynter resources are U.S.-facing, they can be easily adapted to your country context.

Coronavirus: Resources for reporters – This is a solid collection of verification tools, ethical guidance and data sources compiled by First Draft to help journalists report accurately and responsibly on the new coronavirus. Start with Tips for reporting on COVID-19 and slowing the spread of misinformation.

Tips for journalists covering COVID-19 – Use this resource from the Global Investigative Journalism Network for reporting tips, personal safety information during field coverage, fact-checking advice and more.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma has compiled a list of articles and tips from its archives to aid your reporting. It includes self-care tips, reporting tragedy, working with emergency services, and tips for editors supporting their reports in the field.

COVID-19 has turned many journalists into health reporters. How do you cover the new coronavirus on other beats? Here is some help from IJNET. From the same site is another important resource: Do’s and don’ts of reporting COVID-19 – from a non-science background.

Remember to be inclusive in your reporting. Reliefweb has a useful list of ways to include marginalised and vulnerable people in COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement.