prijava
SARAVEJO, April 7 (FENA) - Health topics in the media are currently taking a backseat, as they have been overshadowed by daily political issues. Therefore, it is important for medical professionals and institutions to be more proactive, so the public has access to more content related to their health.
This was stated today at the panel "Media Reporting on Health" as part of the IPD HealthFest 2025, organized today in Sarajevo by the Institute for Population and Development.
The panelists discussed media guidelines on how to bring health topics closer to the audience, how they communicate information, whether health topics have lost their significance in the media space, and the challenges journalists face when reporting on health-related topics.
Dejan Jazvić, the editor-in-chief of the Federal News Agency FENA, reminded that there were once journalists specialized in health topics in newsrooms, but the situation has changed, as the media now reports more on other topics.
He pointed out that FENA is a specific media service for other media outlets, but it covers health topics according to its capacity.
"We have two journalists covering health, and FENA is one of the few media houses that can boast about this," said Jazvić, also urging institutions and health workers to talk more about health, with a special focus on prevention.
The editor-in-chief of Gracija, Mersiha Drinjaković, said that in stories related to health awareness, they often use personal experiences to bring challenges closer to the audience. She also recalled the case when writer and ambassador Martina Mlinarević posed on the cover with a scar from breast cancer surgery.
TVSA journalist Vanja Semić, who was herself an oncology patient and voluntarily interrupted her treatment due to a complicated administrative process, shared her personal experiences. She also mentioned that TVSA once had a program called "Life and Health", which was no longer broadcast due to a lack of interest, and that today it all depends on the persistence of individual journalists and their morals.
The editor-in-chief of the N1 web portal, Alen Altoka, believes that daily politics is taking over the media space, but this will soon change as the audience will only read topics that directly concern them.
IPD HealthFest 2025 presents a unique and interactive experience designed to encourage real changes in the strategic approach to health, individual health approaches, and the improvement of health and education systems.
Through innovative workshop formats and discussions, opportunities for networking and partnership development were created, with a special focus on learning best practices in health promotion and disease prevention. The IPD HealthFest 2025 program is designed to inspire change, encourage initiatives, and mobilize society to take care of health and protect well-being.
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