Media For One Health

Journalism serving healthcare in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, where human and animal population density levels are among the highest worldwide, human society exerts great pressure on the environment. Combined with the knock-on effects of climate disruption, this pressure has considerable effects on human and animal health. In response to these issues, the “One Health” scientific approach studies interdependence between health and the environment, animals and human beings. Many public policies and research work have now adopted this.

Calendrier

March 2023 – November 2025

Budget global

€1M

Environment Gender equality Misinformation

The goal of the Media for One Health project is to raise awareness among journalists working for state media outlets in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines of the “One Health” approach. It started off with a series of national seminars attended by personalities from the world of science, political decision-makers, media outlets and civil society organisations, organised in collaboration with the French agricultural research and international cooperation organisation (CIRAD) from May through to September 2024.

Interviews, storytelling and investigative techniques

The media outlets supported in each of the countries also had training in August and September, as ever in collaboration with CIRAD staff, as well as local trainers and “One Health” experts. These interactive sessions gave journalists a chance to explore this approach and grasp its importance.

“I and my team have gained insights into the interconnections between the environment, human and animal health. We now need to produce videos to inspire engagement among young people, especially young mothers striving to protect their families.”
Celeste Anna Formoso, Chief Editor of the Filippino media outlet Palawan News

The same journalists then took part in new training sessions in November 2024, learning about interviews, story-telling and investigative techniques, in order to handle medical and environmental subjects from a fun, fresh angle for their audiences. With these remote training courses and support, everyone worked hard to scientific vulgarisation in media all the better to accomplish a dual mission of providing information and preventing potential crises.

“We want to reduce the impact of human and animal diseases by raising awareness as how these diseases spread. In our media outlet, we now have specialist journalists preparing more in-depth programmes. Our communities now have a better understanding of how to protect ourselves.”
Samrith Tona, Executive Director of Cambodian radio station Women’s Community Voices (WCV)

A project