Variety of organizations receive health journalism grants

May 11, 2006

Health journalists in 12 countries around the world will have new opportunities to improve their skills, thanks to small grants from the Health Journalism Partnership (HJP).

Announced in December 2005, HJP is a joint initiative of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Internews Network and Panos London. The partnership's goal is to strengthen health journalism worldwide. HJP says it received more than 80 grant applications from 40 countries. The 13 winners have each received grants of up to US$10,000 to support projects aimed at improving health journalism.

The recipients will use the grant money to train or support health journalists. For example, the Press Institute of Mongolia plans a train-the-trainers course focusing on health coverage. In Moldova, the Journalistic Investigation Center will investigate corruption in the health sector. And in Nigeria, Projekthope has launched an internship program aimed at training journalists on health reporting.

The other recipients: African Public Radio, in Burundi; Association of Media Women in Kenya; Center for Independent Journalism, in Hungary; Communication for Development and Learning, in India; Dristi Media Collective, also in India; Fundacion CIPRESS, in Chile; HIV/AIDS and Media Project, in South Africa; Laos Journalists Association; Nepal Press Institute; and Women, Media and Change, in Ghana.

HJP also recently launched its Web site. The site includes resources for health journalists, as well as for media NGOs, donors, and others interested in strengthening health journalism. HJP is also gathering data on health journalism projects around the world, and this data will be available on the site in the months to come. Organizations that conduct these projects can participate in HJP by completing a survey on the Web site.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Open Society Institute are funding HJP as a pilot project. For more information about HJP and the grants program, contact Jacqueline Gayle.