‘Media messages save infant lives in emergencies’: Information for Communication Specialists in Humanitarian Organisations

The way in which emergencies are represented by the media has a fundamental influence on what is done, by whom and why. Inaccurate information can detract from the humanitarian effort while accurate information can positively affect the successful delivery of aid. Communication specialists in humanitarian organisations have the extremely difficult task of providing the media with a simple, yet compelling picture of what their organisation is doing in the aid effort. Describing aid that protects the wellbeing of infants can be difficult because the sort of support that helps them is mostly not in the form of goods. There is also much misinformation propagated about infant feeding in emergencies. This document aims to provide communications specialists with tools to promote beneficial aid and discourage harmful aid affecting infants and young children.