Engaging media in communicating research on sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub- Saharan Africa: experiences and lessons learned

This paper describes the experiences of the African Population and Health Research Center and its partners in cultivating the interest and building the capacity of the media in evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

The authors argue that even though the mass media have excellent potential to promote good sexual and reproductive health outcomes, around the world, media often fail to prioritise sexual and reproductive health and rights issues or report them in an accurate manner. In sub-Saharan Africa, the authors posit that media coverage of reproductive health issues is poor due to the weak capacity and motivation for reporting these issues by media practitioners.

Utilising a case study approach based, the key paper shows that the African Population and Health Research Center's media strategy evolved over the years, moving beyond conventional ways of communicating research through the media via news releases and newspaper stories, to varying approaches that sought to inspire and build the capacity of journalists to do evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues. Specifically, the approach included:

• enhancing journalists' interest in and motivation for reporting on reproductive health issues through training and competitive grants for outstanding reporting.
  
• building the capacity of journalists to report reproductive health research and the capacity of reproductive health researchers to communicate their research to media through training for both parties and providing technical assistance to journalists in obtaining and interpreting evidence.
  
• establishing and maintaining trust and mutual relationships between journalists and researchers through regular informal meetings between journalists and researchers, organising field visits for journalists, and building formal partnerships with professional media associations and individual journalists.

The authors conclude that a sustained mix of strategies that motivate, strengthen capacity of, and build relationships between journalists and researchers can be effective in enhancing quality and quantity of media coverage of research.