Organized by CFC Big Ideas, a three-day workshop on polio reporting was held on April 3-5, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey. Nine journalists from Pakistan and nine journalists from Afghanistan attended the training. The goal of the session was to enhance journalists’ knowledge about 1) the disease, 2) polio eradication efforts in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and across the globe, and improving skills in reporting polio-related issues.
USAGM, UNICEF, WHO and CDC staff were invited to speak with training participants. The workshop agenda included expert presentations and discussions on both a comprehensive response to polio outbreaks as well as the role of journalists in raising public awareness of the polio vaccine’s effectiveness. Other activities included interactive exercises and hands-on activities in best practices for reporting on polio.
To coordinate the session, CFC Big Ideas secured a 5-star CVK Park Bosphorus hotel, provided logistics for training participants from across Pakistan and Afghanistan to travel safely to Istanbul and back, offered communications support, and facilitated a smooth workflow during the training session.
Since 2018, CFC Big Ideas has served as a contractor for the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), offering training sessions for media professionals and media conference participants around the world. As part of its services, CFC coordinates and executes these international media training sessions and conferences for a variety of media affiliated with USAGM.
