Media Cannot Be Remembered Once a Year, Says Senior Journalist Nadeem Chaudhry at UNICEF Breastfeeding Dialogue
Islamabad: Senior health journalist Nadeem Chaudhry delivered a candid and thought-provoking speech during the national media dialogue on breastfeeding organized by UNICEF and the Health Services Academy in Islamabad. Speaking at the concluding panel moderated by Anteneh Girma Minas, Chaudhry urged international organizations, health authorities, and development partners to maintain consistent engagement with the media throughout the year rather than relying on annual events.
Chaudhry began by thanking the organizers for raising the topic but questioned why discussions about the media’s role in health advocacy surface only once a year. “Whenever there is an annual event, the media is called and asked to play its role, but what happens the rest of the year?” he asked. He emphasized that awareness efforts should be continuous, with a structured mechanism to share information and updates regularly. “If you keep the media engaged throughout the year, awareness will naturally continue,” he added.
The veteran journalist also highlighted the need for donor agencies to reinstate the dedicated “media component” that previously existed within international health and nutrition projects. “Ten years ago, every donor agency had a media component that funded awareness campaigns. Why was that discontinued? No one gives an answer to that,” he remarked. He argued that media, like formula milk companies, operates as an industry and should be treated as a professional partner in long-term advocacy rather than a tool for event-based publicity.
Turning to the issue of formula milk marketing, Chaudhry acknowledged that it remains a deeply rooted problem driven by commercial interests and political influence. Referring to incidents during the floods, he pointed out that formula milk was distributed in affected areas without consideration of the unsafe conditions. “You mentioned that formula milk was distributed during floods, but you didn’t say by whom. It was distributed by the Chief Minister of Punjab herself,” he revealed. “How can formula milk be prepared where there is not even clean drinking water?”
Chaudhry stressed that the media has consistently highlighted such contradictions and continues to expose irresponsible practices, including the misuse of relief operations for promotional purposes. “Media is doing its part,” he said, “but you must keep it involved regularly, not occasionally.”
He also addressed the challenges in legislating against unethical formula milk marketing, pointing out that media has actively supported such legislation at both the provincial and federal levels. “We played a key role in Sindh’s legislation against formula milk,” he said, acknowledging the efforts of advocates like Bhatti Sahib. “We also supported similar efforts in the federal government, but a powerful mafia inside parliament blocks progress.”
Chaudhry accused some lawmakers of having direct financial stakes in formula milk companies, saying, “There are parliamentarians in the assembly who are the owners and distributors of these formula milk brands. How will they ever allow legislation to pass against their own interests?”
He concluded by reaffirming the media’s commitment to public health advocacy and transparency. “Media is performing its role. The responsibility lies with you—to keep the media informed, engaged, and part of the process,” he said. “If you walk with the media, the media will walk with you.”
