WORLD HEALTH COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATES

At a Scoping Meeting held in Geneva in March, participants identified a variety of aims, activities and functions for WHEN.

WHEN is proposed to be a broad ‘coalition’ between specialist health editors and other communicators across borders and disciplines, which could help to share specialist knowledge and accelerate country-level responses to health risks.

WHEN is seen as an informal communication network. Membership will be voluntary and free; editors will be at liberty to engage when and where it is appropriate, but open to contribute, share and absorb ideas and information. The only requirement for membership is that members agree to work towards agreed ethical guidelines (see suggestions below). In effect, WHEN could operate at a global level in the same way as informal associations of health writers operate at a national level. And by developing relationships with publications around the world, editors will facilitate opportunities for professional development as well as new markets for their talents.

WHEN aims to provide opportunities for editors of specialist and generalist health journals to ‘think globally and act locally’ – meeting occasionally, sharing information, gaining specialist knowledge and contacts, networking among colleagues across disciplines and national boundaries, and developing new strategies for disseminating public health messages.

By organising specialist briefings and discussions at significant international health-related conferences WHEN will achieve a dual purpose – those attending could give a higher profile to the importance of (good) communications, and would leave with authoritative stories and fresh contacts.

WHEN will nurture professionalism and collegiality (especially between those in developed economies enjoying press freedom, and those in less developed democracies with more restricted media) by providing a forum for discussion about effective communication in health journalism, ethical issues, and how to shape and develop stories around new research, health risks, etc.

WHEN will open up possibilities for co-ordinating stories and themes (although some may feel that ‘campaigning’ as such is not the purpose of specialist journals), especially across disciplines. This cross-fertilisation of ideas and stories across borders could result in more effective communication of health messages and agenda-setting for the mainstream media. WHEN will operate in effect as a ‘network of networks’, with members radiating information and ideas to colleagues in national networks.

WHEN might also play a more proactive role:
• As a sounding board feeding back to WHO and other IGOs, and international agencies information about the efficacy of their information and campaigns.
• As a conduit for myth-busting materials and to assist in quashing false rumours about health issues.
• As a forum through which to devise or co-ordinate and develop ethical codes for health communications (see box below), to share lessons learned from mistakes.
• As a change agent to encourage professional development and ‘quality control’ (for example testing the efficacy of different approaches to ‘peer review’ and lobbying for common standards; considering the role of investigative reporting in health communications; etc, etc).
• It might even operate eventually as a syndication service, sharing material across borders as a mean of broadening understanding of health issues.

World Health Editors Network (WHEN) Draft Ethical Guidelines for Discussion

1. First, try to do no harm. Human rights and the public good are paramount.
2. Get it right. Check your facts and your sources, even if deadlines are put at risk.
3. Do not raise false hopes. Be especially careful when reporting on claims for ‘miracle cures’ or potential 'health scares'.
4. Beware of vested interests. Ask yourself, ‘Who benefits most from this story?’
5. Reject personal inducements. Always make it clear if material is being published as a result of sponsorship.
6. Never disclose the source of information imparted in confidence.
7. Respect the privacy of the sick, the disabled and their families at all times.
8. Be mindful of the consequences of your story. Remember that individuals who may be sick or disabled – especially children – have lives to live long after the media have lost interest.
9. Never intrude on private grief. Respect the feelings of the bereaved, especially when dealing with disasters. Close-up photography or television images of victims or their families should be avoided wherever possible.
10. If in doubt, leave it out.

The WHEN process is being coordinated by the communication officers of the member organisations of WHPA, together with Franklin Apfel of WHCA:

ICN Linda Carrier-Walker, Director of Communications and External Relations email: carrwalk@icn.ch
WMA Nigel Duncan, Public Relations Consultant email: nduncan@ndcommunications.co.uk
FIP Myriah Lesko, Projects Coordinator email: Myriah@fip.org
FDI Christina Thorsen, Communications Coordinator email: CThorsen@fdiworldental.org

The aims and objectives of the meeting include:
1. To launch the WHEN process
2. To identify relevant feature news stories on the occasion of the WHPA meeting and in anticipation of the WHO World Health Assembly 2006
3. To identify further developmental steps

Comments and questions to: Franklin Apfel at franklin@whcaonline.org.