The media coverage on preparing for an impeding natural event such as a storm and the subsequent event coverage in many parts of the world can often be overwhelming. Television coverage and social media dominate. In many parts of Africa, however, newspapers are still the primary platform to both educate and inform people about risk. A recent United Nations Office for Global Risk Reduction (UNISDR) media workshop held in Arusha in northern Tanzania highlighted the difficulties African journalists face in writing about disaster risk reduction and providing appropriate and accurate information on how to deal with impeding natural events.

In a report on the UNISDR website, Denis McClean writes of the struggles African journalists face. One editor, Jorge Ernesto Rungo of the Maputo-based weekly newspaper Domingo, talked about the serious recent flooding in Mozambique and how “much of the reporting focused on the significant minority of people who did not heed the early warnings.” He went on to say, “A lot of people who did not experience the floods of 2000 could not believe that floods were coming despite the warnings. They looked at the sky where there were no clouds and there was no rain. All the rain was falling in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The floods took them completely by surprise. Our newspaper is trying to play a role in educating people about disaster risk and the complex nature of the weather and how it impacts our river systems and our cities and towns."

Another journalist attending the workshop, Racheal Nakitare, chief producer with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said: "I have learned the difference between a natural hazard and a disaster. Disasters have a human face. Deaths can be prevented if everyone has access to early warnings. This is my role as a journalist."