Reporting in a health emergency: The roles of Sierra Leonean journalists during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak

摘要

Local media are important sources of information for the public during a health emergency. However, not much is known about the roles and experiences of local journalists who have to report under extraordinary circumstances. In this qualitative study, we interviewed Sierra Leonean journalists who reported during the 20142015 Ebola outbreak. The thematic analysis shows that the journalists adapted different roles over the course of the outbreak. They went from being sceptical about the existence of an outbreak at the start to changing into instructors at the end of the outbreak. Journalists struggled with their own fear for the virus, which they could overcome through targeted training, that helped them identify safe practices of reporting in the field. Our results show that it is possible to effectively partner with local media to disseminate public health messages. This might be challenging in settings with problematic press freedom, but Sierra Leonean journalists actually felt that the outbreak helped improve their practices.