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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 30284, member: 2262"] The One Economy Foundation brought journalists together at their second Media Summit and Awards last Friday in Windhoek. They wanted reporters to learn better ways to cover stories about sexual health, gender violence, and mental wellness. Editors and frontline workers joined the talks to share what works best when writing about these sensitive topics. The media shapes how people think and act toward important issues, according to Veronica Theron, who runs health programs at One Economy. She believes good reporting creates safer communities by changing attitudes, behaviors, and even government policies for everyone's benefit. Josina Ziyaya Machel spoke as the main guest at this year's event. She started the Kuhluka Movement after surviving brutal violence herself. Machel told everyone how an attack back in October 2015 left her without one eye. Her personal story made a powerful impact on everyone attending. Machel explained how her attacker tricked reporters, doctors, and police into believing she just fell. Nobody listened when she tried to tell the truth about being beaten. News outlets repeated what her abuser claimed instead of investigating her side. Her case shows exactly why media coverage matters when fighting violence against women. Machel stated clearly that the courts decided her abuser did nothing wrong because they couldn't find enough evidence. She still waits for justice years later. Machel asked reporters to listen carefully when survivors spoke and help share their experiences widely. Society keeps accepting violence against women as normal, but journalists can help change this by demanding justice. Emma Nghitanwa teaches nursing students at the University of Namibia and reminded everyone that access to sexual and reproductive healthcare remains a basic right for all people. Nghitanwa pushed news teams to question false ideas about sexual health and report facts fairly without letting personal opinions creep in. Bad reporting can harm how the public views these issues. She emphasized that media outlets need to teach people accurate information about sexual and reproductive rights since many misunderstand these topics completely. Attendees broke into groups to talk about how their work affects conversations around sexual health, gender violence, and mental wellness. Reporters exchanged ideas about ways they could improve their coverage of these complex subjects. They agreed that the public needs more educational content, stories that explain key issues clearly, and consistent updates on important cases rather than single articles. Shelleygan Petersen earned top honors among print journalists at the 2025 awards ceremony with her article about workplaces failing to support mothers who nurse their babies. Tracy Tafirenyika took second place for exposing how 20,000 children face exploitation through online sex work. Radio reporter Charlotte Nambadja from Desert FM received recognition for her piece titled Love Should Not Hurt. The One Economy Foundation created these awards to celebrate reporters who excel when covering sexual health, violence against women, and mental health challenges across Namibia. [/QUOTE]

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