On November 10-12, the OSCE Center in Ashgabat organized an online course on media coverage of the pandemic and other health-related issues, according to the organization's website .

The event was attended by journalists from the country's print, broadcast and online media, representatives of the Ministry of Health, teachers of the journalism departments of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Magtymguly State University and the International University for Humanities and Development.

Experts from Israel and Russia provided information on the professional standards and responsibilities of journalists when covering public health topics, including the pandemic, as well as criteria for the content of media reports and how to draw attention to media information.

“While the media has become a key tool for raising public awareness of COVID-19, the pandemic has presented journalists with new challenges to spread credible information to minimize rumors and misinformation and help prevent public panic , and help change behavior and attitudes. people in order to limit the spread of the disease, ”said William Leaf, political adviser to the OSCE Center in Ashgabat .

For the second year, the authorities of Turkmenistan have denied the presence of cases of coronavirus infection in the country. Representatives of international organizations in Turkmenistan also do not contradict the position of the authorities.

8 November World Health Organization (WHO) Senior Emergency Officer Catherine Smallwood stated that "the COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading in the world for almost two years, so from a scientific point of view, it is hardly possible to imagine that there is no virus in Turkmenistan." In July 2020, Catherine Smallwood headed the WHO mission to Turkmenistan. Following the visit, the expert called on the Turkmen government to take such measures as if COVID-19 entered the country.

Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan