Developing strategies for effective media advocacy and public understanding of evidence-informed health care

Tags: Workshop
Tanjavur Ramaswami G1, Lakshmi Narasimhan R2, Ramaratnam S3
1Assistant Professor, Journalism and Communication, Coordinator, Virtual University and Pan-African E Network Project, University of Madras, Chennai, 2Madras medical college, 3Apollo Hospitals, India

Objectives:

How can we effectively engage in media advocacy to enhance public understanding of evidence informed healthcare? How can we communicate critical research, unsupported findings and uncertainty to the media and the public? What strategies can be used when working with communities to improve their understanding of policy issues and communicating them to policy makers?

Description:

Health issues are extensively covered in mass media. The media is a social and a political institution that can influence the general public, policy makers and healthcare professionals. It is often argued that media advocacy, education and public engagement are needed to ensure public support for evidence-informed policies. However research has suggested that there are many barriers to engaging with the media and the audience.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to explore collaboratively the factors that enable or constraint effective health communication. The discussions in the workshop will help develop strategies for improving engagement with mainstream media and audience communities. Specifically, the workshop will identify and map storylines that stakeholders can use to pitch for responsible and informative news stories to the media.