Building Media Partnerships for FCTC Implementation in Vietnam

In recent years, the media in Vietnam has become more actively involved in tobacco control. However, the media´s coverage of tobacco control issues is not adequate either in quantity or quality.

There are several reasons for this. Media personnel have little awareness and understanding of tobacco control issues and efforts. In addition, media personnel opinions continue to be influenced by the information received directly or indirectly from the tobacco industry in Vietnam.

This project builds upon the results of an earlier project entitled Facilitating FCTC Implementation through Media Personnel Support. It seeks to fill the information vacuum faced by the media and the general public by developing accurateinformation packages on tobacco control issues, increasing media capacity to advocate for tobacco control, and positively influencing public education.

Objectives

The objectives of the project are:

• To increase awareness among Vietnamese journalists and media outlets about tobacco control issues, policies, and the FCTC to enable them to be more active in tobacco control;
• To enhance the capacity of selected journalists to develop and produce accurate media advocacy stories on tobacco control issues and policies;
• To increase public awareness on tobacco control through a public education campaign with the active involvement of media; and
• To develop an information clearinghouse for information on tobacco control in Vietnam.

Results

Through a meeting with editors-in-chief and managers of media organisations and a media training workshop in Hanoi, the media personnel gained greater awareness of tobacco control issues, and particularly of the introduction of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages (the priority of the TC policy advocacy campaign in Vietnam in 2006). The media training workshop also equipped the reporters with skills to produce more attractive media articles on tobacco control issues. Based on the findings of research conducted under Facilitating FCTC Implementation through Media Personnel Support project, a curriculum and teaching materials on TC and FCTC for reporters were developed with the involvement of lecturers from the Journalism Faculty of the National University and officers from the Press Department of the Central Committee on Culture and Ideology.

Through the workshops and informal individual meetings, twelve journalists demonstrated their commitment to tobacco control by working actively with HealthBridge’s media officer to write and publish anti-smoking media articles.

Updated information on tobacco control work was provided to the media personnel via four fact sheets on various topics, including cigarette smuggling, encouraging women’s involvement in anti-smoking campaigns, application of pictorial health warnings, and enforcement of smoke free policy.

Lessons Learned

The media advocacy campaign is an efficient advocating strategy for tobacco control policies. The introduction of new pictorial health warnings, which has always been strongly opposed by the tobacco industry, requires strong support from the public and the media in order to be effective.

Recommendations

Post-training activities should be held to keep media personnel updated with the latest TC information and to develop and maintain the media network. As a result, the project donors have agreed to extend the grant for the 2nd year with 10,000USD for post-training activities.