WHO empowers journalists and influencers in the battle against infodemic

Within the European Union-funded “Vaccination Support” project and World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies in Health Program, WHO Azerbaijan has organized a training program on Infodemic Management for journalists and social media influencers on September 26–27, 2023. The training was designed to equip them with the necessary tools to improve ways to combat widespread misinformation and myths about health topics, including vaccines

The spread of inaccurate and unscientific information in the digital age can lead people to make unhealthy decisions. It is therefore important for journalists and social media activists with broad audiences to refer people to reliable sources to get the right information.

The main purpose of this training was to convey to the participants the basic principles of infodemic management, including listening to public concerns and questions, understanding risks, and contributing to the development of a healthier information ecosystem in order to reduce the negative impacts of false information on the health of people.

Approximately 30 individuals, comprising journalists representing diverse media outlets operating within the country, social media influencers and the media representatives of  local health agencies participated in this training that was conducted by experts from WHO Regional Office for Europe. Throughout the training, the vital importance of fact-checking and the dissemination of evidence-based information when reporting on vaccination and related health events was emphasized.

The EU-funded COVID-19 Vaccination Support project implemented by WHO Azerbaijan Country Office since June 2021 covers three years and aims to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the routine immunization programs in the country. The project is part of the continued support of the EU and WHO to Azerbaijan.