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International Workshop On Editorial Leadership In Hiv/Aids Reporting Opens In Lusaka
LusakaNovember 27, 2006
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez on Monday, November 27, officially opened a five-day international workshop for editors and senior journalists from Zambia and 13 other countries that have partnered with the U.S. government in fighting HIV/AIDS under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The workshop, titled “Editorial Leadership in HIV/AIDS Reporting: Changing Hearts, Minds and Behaviors,” has attracted 32 editors and journalists from Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. Sponsored by PEPFAR, the workshop has been organized through joint efforts of the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy and USAID, in conjunction with the Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM), the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
Speaking at the opening, Ambassador Martinez said: “As journalists, you have attained an important position within your society. You, at the touch of your fingers, have the power to inform, to teach, to persuade, to bring change, to fight wrongs, to champion heroism, to inspire, to expose, and, in this case, to save lives. The words you write, the reports you film and the broadcasts you record have the power to educate.”
The workshop will address the role of editors in HIV/AIDS reporting, key problems encountered in reporting on the pandemic, women and HIV/AIDS, internet resources, and ethical guidelines in reporting and photojournalism. Participants will interact with experienced health journalists in the United States through a Digital Video Conference from the American Center. As a practical exercise, the journalists will visit four sites in Lusaka and prepare stories on HIV/AIDS.
Zambian commentator and HIV/AIDS activist Dr. Mannasseh Phiri, U.S. journalist Suzanne Marmion, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) journalist Jean Carter and U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Christopher Wurst will serve as facilitators for the workshop.
On World AIDS Day, December 1st, the participants will attend a panel discussion led by first Republican President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia Health Education and Communications Trust (ZHECT) Director Ms Chilufya Mwaba-Phiri, former health minister and AIDS activist Professor Nkandu Luo, and HIV positive teenager Memory Phiri.
