Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
Founded2013
FounderMia Malan
TypeNonprofit
FocusHealth journalism, Public health
Location
Websitebhekisisa.org

The Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is a non-profit media group based in South Africa. Bhekisisa, meaning "to scrutinize" in the Zulu language, focuses on health coverage from a social justice perspective, utilizing narrative and solutions journalism.[1]

The organization is recognized for its expertise in healthcare in South Africa and the broader African continent. It has been referenced by both local[2] and international media,[3][4][5] academic journals[6][7][8][9] and books.[10][11][12][13] Bhekisisa's articles are frequently published by South African news outlets such as the Daily Maverick, News24, the Mail & Guardian, and Financial Mail.[14]

In 2021, the nonprofit was the first media group to receive South Africa’s prestigious Reconciliation Award from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.[15]

History

Bhekisisa was established in 2013 as a health desk within the Mail & Guardian newspaper, under the editorial leadership of Nicholas Dawes.[16] The initiative was founded by healthcare journalist Mia Malan.[17]

In 2015, Bhekisisa underwent registration as a non-profit organization and received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which greatly contributed to the expansion[18] of its reporting efforts across the African continent. In 2019, it transitioned[19] from its association with the Mail & Guardian, becoming an independent media group.

Bhekisisa is often recognized as a notable nonprofit media organization,[20][21][22] particularly in the field of health reporting across Africa,[23][24] and the Global South.

COVID-19

Bhekisisa was recognised[25] as taking the lead on COVID-19 pandemic reporting in South Africa, with many relying on it over government communications[26] for basic information about the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccination in South Africa. Early in 2020, it partnered on a live coronavirus dashboard[27] with the South African data journalism newsroom Media Hack Collective, collecting and interpreting unique, localized data on deaths, infections and vaccinations in Africa and South Africa.

Malan was regularly quoted by local[28][29][30] and international media[31][32][33][34][35] on COVID-19-related issues in South Africa and the region. She spoke globally about how journalists were reporting on the pandemic.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42] Her op-ed[43] article on the Omicron variant-related African travel ban was referenced by Fifa Rahman[44] at the World Health Organization’s ACT Accelerator Council in December of 2021 to note the damaging effect the travel ban had on COVID-19 researchers discovering variants outside of the West. On 3 November 2022, the Bhekisisa team received one of the National Press Club's two annual merit awards for outstanding reporting for what the judges described as “fearlessly reporting the facts and science of COVID while being mercilessly trolled on social media”.[45]

Notable reporting

In 2020, Joan van Dyk's article on the death of a child at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp was a finalist in the 2020 Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards.[46] The feature illustrated the impact of corruption at Bosasa, a South African prison facilities management group, on migrant healthcare. Her story resulted in the legal organisation ProBono moving forward with litigation.

In 2018, Pontsho Pilane’s #FreetoBleed series about the knock-on effects of costly menstruation products won the Discovery Health Journalist of the Year award.[47] Pilane was invited to Parliament to present her findings about the lack of access to sanitary pads. In 2019, sanitary pads and other menstrual products were made tax-free by the South African government.[48]

In 2016, Malan’s piece on rape in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg, won both the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Award for feature stories and the Standard Bank Sikuvile Award for feature stories.[49][50]

In 2013, Malan’s story on ulwaluko initiation ceremonies, which left some young men in Pondoland dead or disfigured from botched circumcisions, won the 2014 Standard Bank Sikuvile Award for feature stories.[51]

References

  1. ↑ Otter, Alastair. "What is Bhekisisa?". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  2. ↑ Breen, Nicole. "Despair and exclusion – how racism can be a catalyst for poor mental health". Citypress. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  3. ↑ "Corruption, Mismanagement Plague Limpopo's Traffic Cops and Medics". www.occrp.org. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  4. ↑ "Vaccination cards are not required to get hired in South Africa". Fact Check. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  5. ↑ "'Vaccinated people rarely hospitalised with Omicron in South Africa', says Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism editor". Channel 4 News. 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  6. ↑ Keene, Claire; Mohr-Holland, Erika; Cassidy, Tali; Scott, Vera; Nelson, Aurelie; Furin, Jennifer; Triviño-Duran, Laura (2020-09-01). "How COVID-19 could benefit tuberculosis and HIV services in South Africa". The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 8 (9): 844–846. doi:10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30311-8. ISSN 2213-2600. PMC 7398675. PMID 32758439.
  7. ↑ Perreault, Mildred F.; Perreault, Gregory P. (June 2021). "Journalists on COVID-19 Journalism: Communication Ecology of Pandemic Reporting". American Behavioral Scientist. 65 (7): 976–991. doi:10.1177/0002764221992813. ISSN 0002-7642. PMC 7868346.
  8. ↑ Boatemaa, Sandra; Barney, McKenna; Drimie, Scott; Harper, Julia; Korsten, Lise; Pereira, Laura (2019-10-01). "Awakening from the listeriosis crisis: Food safety challenges, practices and governance in the food retail sector in South Africa". Food Control. 104: 333–342. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.05.009. hdl:2263/70214. ISSN 0956-7135. S2CID 181564282.
  9. ↑ Beesham, I.; Smit, J.; Beksinska, M.; Panday, M.; Makatini, V.; Evans, S. (October 2019). "Reasons for requesting removal of the hormonal implant, Implanon NXT, at an urban reproductive health clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". SAMJ: South African Medical Journal. 109 (10): 750–755. doi:10.7196/SAMJ.2019.v109i10.00012. ISSN 0256-9574. PMID 31635572. S2CID 204833261.
  10. ↑ Basson, Adriaan (2019-10-21). Blessed by Bosasa: Inside Gavin Watson's State Capture Cult. Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 978-1-77619-003-4.
  11. ↑ Friedman, Steven (2021-11-01). One Virus, Two Countries: What COVID-19 Tells Us About South Africa. NYU Press. ISBN 978-1-77614-746-5.
  12. ↑ Gascoigne, Toss; Schiele, Bernard; Leach, Joan; Riedlinger, Michelle; Massarani, Luisa; Lewenstein, Bruce V.; Broks, Peter (2020-09-14). Communicating Science: A Global Perspective. ANU Press. ISBN 978-1-76046-366-3.
  13. ↑ Ltd, Juta and Company. Pandemics and Healthcare: Principles, Processes and Practice.
  14. ↑ Admin. "FAQs – Bhekisisa". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  15. ↑ Mafolo, Karabo (2021-11-26). "MEDIA HONOUR: Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism wins 2021 Reconciliation Award". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  16. ↑ "Bhekisisa: Our health journalism centre is here". The Mail & Guardian. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  17. ↑ Admin. "Our Team". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  18. ↑ "Bhekisisa gets a boost into Africa". Bhekisisa. 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  19. ↑ Malan, Mia (2019-07-12). "It's official: Bhekisisa is going solo". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  20. ↑ Sandra Gordon (2020-09-01). "Pockets of excellence and competence". The Media Online. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  21. ↑ "Disrupted media – disrupted academy: Rethinking African j-schools". Shorenstein Center. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  22. ↑ Dunn, Hopeton S.; Moyo, Dumisani; Lesitaokana, William O.; Barnabas, Shanade Bianca (2021). Re-imagining Communication in Africa and the Caribbean: Global South Issues in Media, Culture and Technology. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-54169-9.
  23. ↑ "'Fake news' and COVID-19: How have we performed?". www.news.uct.ac.za. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  24. ↑ "Center for International Media Assistance". Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  25. ↑ "Few winners, many losers: the COVID-19 pandemic's dramatic and unequal impact on independent news media". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  26. ↑ Low, Marcus, Geffen, Nathan (18 August 2021). "How to boost the COVID-19 vaccine rollout". Spotlight. Retrieved 13 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "Coronavirus in South Africa - FAQ". mediahack.co.za. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  28. ↑ "SA's vaccine rollout update: Pfizer is up next says Bhekisisa Health's Mia Malan". CapeTalk. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  29. ↑ "Bhekisisa concerned about sectors not getting vaccinated". SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  30. ↑ podcasters, Omny Studio is the complete audio management solution for; Stations, Radio. "Mia Malan - Wake Up On Metro FM - Omny.fm". omny.fm. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  31. ↑ "'Vaccinated people rarely hospitalised with Omicron in South Africa', says Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism editor". Channel 4 News. 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  32. ↑ Scott, Dylan (2021-12-09). "What South Africa is seeing in its omicron outbreak". Vox. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  33. ↑ "Omicron is declining in South Africa. Here's what to expect in the United States". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  34. ↑ Hernandez, Joe (2021-11-30). "African leaders condemn travel restrictions as omicron variant spreads globally". NPR. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  35. ↑ Johannesburg, Carien du Plessis in (2020-05-27). "How South Africa's action on Covid-19 contrasts sharply with its response to Aids". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  36. ↑ "Covering COVID-19 is tough. The head of a health news site explains how to get it right". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  37. ↑ "Racism, misinformation, inclusion: How to ethically cover COVID-19". WAN-IFRA. 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  38. ↑ "Bhekisisa Webinar - When epidemics collide: TB, HIV and COVID-19". COVID-19 Communication Network. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  39. ↑ Reporting on COVID-19 in South Africa. Mia Malan, editor in chief, Bhekisisa, retrieved 2022-04-13
  40. ↑ Webinar 17: HIV & COVID-19: The Contrast in Reporting Epidemics in S. Africa, retrieved 2022-04-13
  41. ↑ "Need and greed: Reporting on COVID-19 in Southern Africa". Journalism Courses Knight Center. 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  42. ↑ "Skoll | Surviving a Pandemic with Grit, Innovation, and Creativity in South Africa". Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  43. ↑ Malan, Mia (2021-12-08). "The joke's on us, South Africa. The cruel logic of Omicron travel bans – debunked". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  44. ↑ "8th ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council meeting". www.who.int. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  45. ↑ Team, Bhekisisa (2022-11-07). "Bhekisisa gets a merit award for COVID reporting". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  46. ↑ TMO reporter (21 August 2020). "Sikuvile Journalism Awards finalists announced". The Media Online. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  47. ↑ "M&G bags top prize at Discovery health awards". The Mail & Guardian. 2018-05-31. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  48. ↑ "Menstrual Products Have Been Declared Tax Free in South Africa". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  49. ↑ Team, Bhekisisa (2016-10-16). "Bhekisisa editor Mia Malan nabs CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Award". Bhekisisa. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  50. ↑ "Winners announced for 2016 Standard Bank Sikuvile Awards". Bizcommunity. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  51. ↑ "M&G bags prestigious journalism awards". The Mail & Guardian. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
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