Malaria Media Coalitions

Journalists and media houses are key partners in all advocacy and communications initiatives. While individual journalists’ efforts to contribute to issues they care about can be limited, isolated and/or dispersed, forming a coalition facilitates collective mobilization and dedication to a common cause. 
National Malaria Media Coalitions provide structures and platforms for committed and talented journalists from across the country and representing all forms of media to come together to drive the national discourse relating to malaria control and elimination, hold decision makers to account to their commitments and targets, as well as deliver life-saving information to the general public. Malaria Media Coalitions build the capacity of journalists to produce accurate and quality media output and stay up to date with the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign.  

The objectives of a Malaria Media Coalition: 

1. To empower journalists to produce accurate and high-quality media output on a regular basis.
2. To maximize the role of the media in malaria advocacy and communications initiatives.
3. To provide a sustainable platform for coordination and collaboration at a national and sub-national level.

Being a part of the Malaria Media Coalition commits the member to the following: 

• Take responsibility for they role in the fight against malaria by becoming a proactive champion for the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign. 
• Provide regular, accurate and high-quality media output on malaria. 
• Widely disseminate life-saving information to populations. 
• Generate positive energy around the prospect of malaria elimination and drive the national conversation. 
• Hold decision-makers to account by reporting on commitments made and the progress towards malaria targets. 

Examples of Malaria Media Coalitions: 

In 2019-2020, Malaria Media Coalitions were established in Sierra Leone and Ghana as part of the roll out of the Zero Malaria Starts with Me campaign. 

In Sierra Leone, following the establishment of the Malaria Media Coalition which consisted of 60 journalists from across the country, there was a more than 5-fold increase in the amount of media coverage about malaria compared to the previous year. 

The Ghanaian Malaria Media Coalition was launched in 2020, comprised initially of 50 journalists, and within the first 5 month of operation, over 40 pieces of original media content were produced/published by coalition members.