Continuing its efforts to improve coverage of religion around the world, ICFJ has launched a two-year program for American and international journalists who cover religious issues. By improving professional skills and increasing the dialogue around religion, ICFJ hopes to encourage journalists to engage the subject more openly and free of bias, and simultaneously more respectfully and critically.

The program is designed to:

• Improve U.S.

In South Africa, where AIDS and tuberculosis continue to cripple the population, Knight Health Journalism Fellow Brenda Wilson has expanded multimedia health coverage at the country’s largest broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). She has dramatically increased coverage of health from its network of provincial bureaus.

Elsabet Samuel Tadesse is a Knight Health Journalism Fellow who has led the creation of Ethiopia's first health journalists' association, the Addis Ababa Health Journalists' Initiative. She also launched a half-hour health show called “Tenachin” (Our Health) on Ethiopia’s national television network. The show, which airs every two weeks on the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA), educates the public on key topics such as tuberculosis, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, and health extension services.

Zarina Geloo launched the country’s first weekly health page in the Times of Zambia, the country’s largest daily newspaper. She trained a team of a dozen reporters to cover issues such as AIDS prevention, malaria, measles and cancer.

A front-page story on a measles epidemic led to a government vaccination campaign targeting 1.6 million people. A series on typhoid cases from contaminated drinking water in the capital triggered a government investigation and a new water treatment program.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) administered a training focused on improving coverage on childhood development, the first of its kind. The Early Childhood Development (ECD) movement seeks to get more resources devoted to health and education of children in the critical early years from 0- 8.

Sylvia Vollenhoven created a weekly radio show that has transformed coverage of social issues and poverty in Ghana. On the popular “Hotline” show, Joy FM, the country’s top English language station, reporters have produced NPR-quality documentaries on topics ranging from the plight of illegal miners and the threat of erosion on fishing villages to the consequences of chronic flooding that kills dozens and leaves thousands homeless every year.

Knight International is working to make health reporting a regular beat at one of Zambia's leading newspapers. Knight Fellow Antigone Barton helped to establish the first health desk at the Zambia Daily Mail, one of the country's most influential newspapers. Under her coaching and mentoring, the staff markedly increased the quality and quantity of health stories on topics such as HIV/AIDS, drug-resistant tuberculosis, cholera and malaria. Barton’s fellowship ended in February 2010.

Está abierta la convocatoria para participar del taller de capacitación sobre cobertura periodística de temas de salud, el cual tendrá lugar en Puerto Vallarta, México, del 18 al 22 de Noviembre de 2008.

El taller de capacitación para cubrir temas de salud pretende ofrecerles nuevas herramientas a los periodistas latinoamericanos que trabajan dentro de esta área e igualmente desea contribuir en la formación de aquellos profesionales de la prensa que puedan estar interesados en realizar esta tarea.

The Kenya Alliance of Health and Science Reporters (KAHSR), a journalism association Rachel Jones launched in November, now offers regular training workshops and resources on topics such as new vaccines, children’s health and agricultural research. The association is supported by a grant from the London-based Wellcome Trust. At Alliance workshops, journalists can interact with the country’s leading medical researchers and scientists.

Knight International has made huge inroads in health coverage in Uganda. Over the past 2.5 years, Knight Fellow Christopher Conte has developed a vibrant community of journalists who now have the expertise to tackle tough health issues including the AIDS epidemic and health-care spending.

In the Middle East, bloggers and digital journalists are covering stories and sparking debates on topics avoided by mainstream media. Knight International created an online networking site in Syria that enables young reporters to share resources, experiences. Called Tawasul – Arabic for "connecting" – the network features multimedia stories, including photography, cartoons and animation, on social issues. Their stories focus on social issues such as maternal and child health, gender equality and religious tolerance.