Let's Talk Vaccines

"The vaccine story is with us for a long time still to come. Journalists have a role to play that is just as critical as that of scientists and researchers." - Ida Jooste, Internews Global Health Media Advisor

To support and equip journalists to report on vaccines now and in the future, Internews created a free, interactive, online course that is designed to help journalists translate the language of vaccine science and the promise of vaccine access into compelling human stories. The course addresses a wide range of vaccine-related storytelling angles and approaches, including how to tackle vaccine hesitancy and promote science-backed vaccine confidence among audiences.

The e-learning course debuted at a time when accurate, balanced reporting on vaccines was vital, as countries around the world forged ahead with vaccine roll-out programmes. There were - and continue to be - surplus vaccines in some parts of the world and a slow trickle of vaccination in many other parts. There have been concerns about variants and a deluge of news to digest, as well as the continual spreading of misinformation, which has led to an erosion of trust in vaccines.

Let's Talk Vaccines is a self-paced course in five parts, each of which handles a distinct facet of the story:

1. Vaccine science and research
2. Vaccine access (with modules on equity, governance, and human rights)
3. Vaccine logistics
4. Vaccine confidence (and how journalists can help combat hesitancy through their reporting)
5. Vaccine information sources and resources (e.g., including diverse voices in your reporting).

There is also a final quiz and feedback form.

Editor's notes:

• Let's Talk Vaccines was updated in mid-2022 to reflect further innovation in COVID-19 vaccine development and the dilemma of demand not matching the recent increases in supply to low- and middle-income countries.
• Click on the video below to watch the launch event, which was moderated by Ida Jooste, Internews Global Health Media Advisor, and featured course authors as well as Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health epidemiologist and director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). Karim and Anthony Fauci, director of the (United States) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, were jointly awarded the John Maddox Prize 2020 in recognition of their work as government advisors on health who communicated the complex and changing science of COVID-19 to the public and policymakers in the midst of international uncertainty and anxiety.
• If you are interested in more health journalism resources like this e-learning course, Internews invites you to become a member of the Internews Health Journalism Network (HJN), which is for individuals, informal groups, and networks that report on health. Joining HJN enables you to connect with health media professionals around the world, learn new skills, and access additional resources and opportunities.