CAS4Media

A Critical Appraisal Skills (CAS) workshop was held on 17 November in Pune, Maharashtra, by UNICEF India Maharashtra, bringing together journalists from print, digital, and electronic media to strengthen evidence-based reporting on , one of India’s most urgent yet underreported public health issues.

Participants engaged with national mentors, who introduced the 12 Questions of the CAS Media Rating Tool (MRT) and demonstrated how journalists can evaluate health stories for accuracy, balance, evidence, and public relevance.
The workshop also featured sessions on the burden of cervical cancer in India, prevention strategies including HPV vaccination and screening, and the role of media in countering myths and misinformation.

Through group work, journalists explored real newsroom challenges, practiced framing stories with credible data, and developed action-oriented communication ideas for local audiences.

A big thank you to all participating journalists for their thoughtful contributions and commitment to strengthening public health communication.

Senior Journalist and Columnist, and CAS Mentor Madhurendra Sinha writes in Blitz India about how the UNICEF India-led Workshop is helping editors strengthen evidence-based reporting on and .

He highlights why responsible, fact-checked journalism matters more than ever in a noisy digital world, and how CAS gives newsrooms the tools to cut through misinformation with clarity and empathy.

Read more at: https://blitzindiamedia.com/nation/focus-on-evidence-based-reporting/