Rhodes University gets health journalism boost

Discovery Health and Rhodes University have announced the launch of the Discovery Centre for Health Journalism in partnership with the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies.

The Centre will offer an Honours Degree with a specialisation in health journalism beginning in 2011, as well as short courses for working health journalists to better understand issues relevant to health journalism. In addition, the Centre plans to host symposiums on health journalism that will bring together academics, media managers, journalists and postgraduate journalism students to debate key issues in health journalism such as how to better cover HIV and AIDS, newer epidemics of obesity and diabetes and healthcare economic models. Dr Jonathan Broomberg, CEO of Discovery Health says: ‚The Discovery Centre for Health Journalism will make a significant contribution to the overall quality and quantity of health journalism in South Africa. By promoting excellence in health journalism, we hope to raise the level of national debate on healthcare systems and improve the public’s understanding of health issues.‚ Professor Harry Dugmore, of Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies says: ‚Healthcare is a very fast moving field. Issues of how nations pay for healthcare, how we understand wellness and issues of medicine and medical technology are changing rapidly. We hope that the Discovery Centre for Health Journalism’s Honours Degree with specialisation in health journalism, the short courses for working journalists and regular conferences will help journalists deepen their understanding of health issues, and equip them with tools to reflect on the practice of health journalism.‚ The Discovery Centre for Health Journalism will offer full scholarships for students to complete the Honours Degree with a specialisation in health journalism. Applications for admission to the 2011 Media Studies Honours Degree with a specialisation in health journalism at Rhodes remain open until the end of November 2010. Discovery Health also today announced the launch of the third Discovery Health Journalism Awards for journalists displaying outstanding health reporting over the 2010 calendar year.

The awards are open to journalists who have already or will be publishing, broadcasting or printing health reports in the period from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010.