The Head of Journalism Department at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) Dr. Jolly Ntaba has appealed to journalists to be professional by adhering to ethics in reporting clinical issues because journalists have the power to set agenda through media. Ntaba made the remarks during the Journalist In Residence (JIR) training that Malawi Liverpool Wellcome (MLW) organised on 14 December 2021 to enhance interaction between researchers and the media.

“Medical and health reporting is very critical. Journalists should report information that is factual and accurate which is based on scientific research, for example, with the COVID pandemic, journalists have become a pillar that people rely on when it comes to acquiring information. A journalist can either alarm people or report in a way that brings hope depending on the way they communicate with the public,” said Ntaba.

During the meeting, some researchers from MLW including Dr. Diana Kululanga, Helen Mangochi, and John Mankhomwa were given a platform to present their research to journalists.

JIR is one of the projects under media engagement. This project started in 2015 and it has over 20 journalists from Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Times Television, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Blantyre Synod, Capital FM, and Nation Publications Limited amongst others.

Some of the notable people who trained the journalists were Peter Jiyajiya of Malawi University of Science and Technology and Frank Kapesa of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.