Journalist-to-Journalist (J2J)

As part of J2J, experienced journalists mentor reporters and editors who may be struggling with many of the same issues that their mentors have encountered before. Fellows are invited to participate based on their journalistic competence, with preference given to journalists who work in developing country settings. They are provided with financial assistance for air travel, lodging, and meals, during the time they participate in the J2J programme as well as in the greater conference itself. Thus, the J2J event is, in effect, an informal satellite meeting of the International AIDS Conference; to date, it has been held in Barcelona, 2002, Bangkok, 2004, Toronto, 2006, and Sydney, 2007. For example, the first peer education event J2J organised took place in July 2002. As part of the XIVth International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, J2J organised a 4-day programme for 37 journalists from 24 countries that featured discussion groups and presentations by scientists and journalists on issues such as "Dealing with the Delicate - Culture, Sex and Drug Use", "Economic and Medical Consequences of the Epidemic", and "Practical Tips and Story Ideas for Covering the XIVth International AIDS Conference".

Beyond the AIDS Conferences, J2J also offers other training opportunities. In March 2005, 8 developing-world journalists participating in the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship programme came to the NPF to discuss freedom of the press and United States media coverage of international issues with fellow journalists. J2J also brought journalists from Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the United States to Washington, DC, in June 2011 for 4 days of training to build their capacity to cover a wide range of global health issues as part of the Global Health Council (GHC)'s annual conference. After the training, the 12 fellows attended the GHC conference, which focused on themes related to chronic disease, urbanisation, malnutrition, and balancing health needs.

Blog posts from and about various J2J participants can be accessed on the NPF website

J2J has compiled resource documents from these events for the benefit of reporters and editors. Some of these resources, which include lists of HIV/AIDS-related websites and list servers and PowerPoint presentations on topics including "What AIDS Does in the Body", were produced by journalists. Others have been produced for other purposes by non-profit organisations, schools of public health, news organisations, and concerned citizens who want to collaborate in the effort to help journalists obtain the tools they need to better cover the pandemic.

HIV/AIDS, Health, Media Development.

J2J originated with an email that reporter Laurie Garrett sent to her friends and colleagues on June 6 2001. In it, she argued for a mechanism by which journalists could mentor each other to improve media coverage of HIV/AIDS worldwide. Among the recipients of her email was the president of NPF, which is an independent non-profit organisation that designs and conducts professional development programmes for journalists. NPF hired a Nigerian journalist as J2J project manager, and assigned most of its small staff to work on the project. NPF sought the cooperation of other journalism organisations and found funders willing to help.