The document summarizes a workshop hosted by Health Research and Social Development Forum (HERD) in Nepal to strengthen media reporting on urban health issues. HERD analyzed 450 media articles and found coverage often came from foreign sources and focused on policy proposals, with limited regional reporting. The workshop trained 52 journalists on urban health topics, provided media monitoring and writing tools. Initial impacts included improved coverage and a media award for an article supported by HERD. Future plans include expanding sensitization efforts and developing coordination between media and the health sector.

1. Sudeep Uprety, RU and Communications Officer, HERD
ResUpMeetUp workshop, Nairobi, Feb 2015
Strengthening the media’s response to
urban health issues in Nepal

2. About us: Health Research and social
Development forum (HERD)
Based in Nepal – working in the health, environment
and social sectors
The
“3Ds”
are our
assets
DYNAMIC DARING DEDICATED
(led by young professionals)
(change the perception towards NGOs)
to big change (contributing to policy level
interventions)

3.  In this advent, we are:
 Serving the underserved
 Building human capital
 Contributing to policy change
10 years and moving on…

4. HERD and COMDIS-HSD:
3 current projects
1. Developing a behaviour change intervention on
smoking cessation
2. Improving supervision and patient support for drug
resistant TB patients in Nepal
3. Delivery of Essential Health Care Services in
urban areas of Nepal
• Urban Health Policy and Strategy Development
and Media and Urban Health projects fit into
this

5. Why focus on journalists?
raise the issues pertinent to urbanisation
increase the capacity of journalists to understand and report
health issues
improve the quantity and quality of media coverage on urban
health issues
bring together government staff, public health specialists and
media professionals
discuss how to cover urban health issues in a better way

6. 52 journalists

7. Workshop components
Phase 1:
 introductions, opening remarks by minister,
discussion on urban health issues on day 1
 media monitoring evidence, introducing the media
guide on day 2
 field visit to Manohara Clinic and recap on day 3
Phase 2:
 more participatory, include written assignments, field
visit on day 1
 writing assignments on day 2
 reflection and assessment on day 3

8. Monitoring the media

9. Methodology
• Title, Date, Category, Author, Placement
(Page Number)
• Issue Dealt With
• Sector Covered (Urban or General Health)
Analysis
Framework
• Manual Screening
• Hard Copy Storage
• Information Recorded in MS EXCEL
Data Collection
• Findings Generated in terms of Priority
Based, Issue Based and Sector Based
Coverage
Data Analysis
Report Writing Final Documentation of all the processes

11. Evidence from Nepali media monitoring
• Patterns across 4 English papers:
– Articles typically from foreign agencies, foreign
correspondents and foreign researchers (lead
poisoning, thinning hair, maternal health, CVD,
sleep, waste, health insurance)
– Use of evidence = reports are quoted and
described, eg WHO, FAO, UN, INGOs, NGOs,
Universities

12. Conferences covered in different ways, long articles,
description of events and facts, Q&A with delegates
Where there is a focus on policy, it is about what the
government proposes
I am a typical reader,
what do you want me
to do when I read
your story?
We asked the journalists:
Evidence from Nepali media monitoring 2

13. Summary of findings
• Media instrumental in “Agenda Setting” – so
health issues can be sensitised through media
• Evaluation of 450 circulations doesn’t provide a
composite picture but does present a
preliminary picture
• CA elections could have affected “under-
coverage” of health issues
• Some encouraging signs: THT’s Medical Board;
Rising Nepal’s Pg. 5. last section; TKP’s Health
and Living

14. Post-phase 1 workshops

15. Success story
Mr. Benup Raj Bhattarai – receiving Mental Health Media Award from
Honourable Minister for Health and Population in October, 2014 for his 2
articles on stigma related to suicide. The articles were published with
HERD’s technical support.

16. Additional workshop components
Tools for journalists:
• media monitoring guide
• editorial board
• access to facts from HERD

17. Media guide used at workshops
REPORTING TIPS
SOCIAL DETERMINANTSNAT’L HEALTH SYSTEMS GLOSSARY OF HEALTH TERMS
USEFUL LINKS

18. journalists outside the capital
are not specialist enough to
concentrate specifically on
urban health
lack of focus by the
government towards
addressing the burning
urban health issues
Limited time and
resources for
extensive coverage

19. Impact to date
• Phase 2 is well developed based on our learning from
phase 1
• HERD is gradually developing its strength as a trusted
development partner of MoHP, working in close coordination
• Our engagement with the media sector has also
strengthened with the project’s scale-up to four regions
outside the capital
• Our success stories with visible impact promise better
engagement with the media and the health sector at both
the implementation (journalists and health officers) and
policy (media houses and ministry officials) level
• Media Guide officially endorsed by the Primary Health Care
Revitalisation Division of the government

20. Way ahead
• More sensitisation required on UH issues
• Post workshop – better coverage expected
• Media coverage would be substantially improved through
‘public health’ or based on ‘health promotion’ rather than
‘health prevention’
• Better coordination among media and health sector
• Plan to develop a generic guide in English to share with
COMDIS-HSD partners and beyond
• Planning to write this into an academic/learning paper

21. Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal
www.herd.org.np
Linked In – HERD Nepal
Twitter – @HERDNepal
Email: sudeep@herd.org.np
COMDIS-HSD is funded with UK aid from
the UK government