The UNICEF Office for Tamil Nadu & Kerala and the Press Institute of India, Chennai, has published ‘COVID-19: A Handbook For Journalists’ in an attempt to empower journalists (editors and reporters) to help India beat COVID-19 through well-thought-out, researched and responsible articles and feature stories.
It includes chapters such as Understanding the Novel Coronavirus, Fact Check, Different Perspectives, The Ethics And Etiquette Of Covering The Pandemic, Some Reliable Sources Of Information and Awareness Material.
It helps journalists in dispelling certain notions around the virus such as:
- Can cold weather and snow kill the Novel Coronavirus?
- Does taking a hot bath prevent COVID-19?
- Can the Novel Coronavirus be transmitted
through goods manufactured in China or any country reporting COVID-19 cases? - Is the Novel Coronavirus transmitted through mosquito bites?
- Are hand-dryers effective in killing the Novel Coronavirus?
- Can an ultraviolet disinfection lamp kill the Novel Coronavirus?
- How effective are thermal scanners in detecting people infected with the Novel Coronavirus?
- Can spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body kill the Novel Coronavirus?
- Can pets spread the Novel Coronavirus?
- Do vaccines against pneumonia protect you against the Novel Coronavirus?
- Can regularly rinsing your nose with a saline solution help prevent 2019-nCoV infection?
It also spells out certain Dos and Don’ts for journalists and the use of certain lingo while reporting on the virus and also how they should safeguard themselves when they are on the field.