COPYRIGHT Reporting on the world’s biggest killers: a journalist’s guide to covering noncommunicable diseases ISBN 978-92-4-011587-3 (electronic version)ISBN 978-92-4-011588-0 (print version) © World Health Organization 2025 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CCBY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided the workis appropriately cited, as indicated below. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specificorganization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. If you adapt the work, then you must license yourwork under the same or equivalent Creative Commons licence. If you create a translation of this work, you should add the followingdisclaimer along with the suggested citation: “This translation was not created by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is notresponsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition shall be the binding and authentic edition”. Any mediation relating to disputes arising under the licence shall be conducted in accordance with the mediation rules of the WorldIntellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/mediation/rules/). Suggested citation. Reporting on the world’s biggest killers: a journalist’s guide to covering noncommunicable disease. Geneva: WorldHealth Organization; 2025. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP) data. CIP data are available at https://iris.who.int/. Sales, rights and licensing. To purchase WHO publications, see https://www.who.int/publications/book-orders. To submit requestsfor commercial use and queries on rights and licensing, see https://www.who.int/copyright. Third-party materials. If you wish to reuse material from this work that is attributed to a third party, such as tables, figures orimages, it is your responsibility to determine whether permission is needed for that reuse and to obtain permission from thecopyright holder. The risk of claims resulting from infringement of any third-party-owned component in the work rests solely with theuser. General disclaimers. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression ofany opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, orconcerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines forwhich there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommendedby WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietaryproducts are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the publishedmaterial is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation anduse of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall WHO be liable for damages arising from its use. What we’ll be covering in this guideCONTENTS FOREWORD1ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS3BY THE NUMBERS4WHAT IS REALLY KILLING US?5TIP SHEET FOR JOURNALISTS: COVERING NCDs6A CHANGING WORLD8WHAT’S THE STORY ONE:10NCDs ARE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST KILLERSWHAT’S THE STORY TWO:12A LARGE MAJORITY OF NCDs ARE PREVENTABLEWHAT’S THE STORY THREE:14PEOPLE OF ALL AGES CAN BE AFFECTED BY NCDs, FROM YOUNG CHILDRENTO THE OLDEST IN THE POPULATIONWHAT’S THE STORY FOUR:16BIG COMPANIES INFLUENCE OUR HEALTH EVERY DAYWHAT’S THE STORY FIVE:22FROM DRAIN TO DIVIDEND: WHY INVESTING IN NCDs PAYS OFFWHAT’S THE STORY SIX:26ACTION ON NCDs HAS IMPACTS FAR BEYOND HEALTHWHAT’S THE STORY SEVEN:28INNOVATION IS HELPING TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF NCD INTERVENTIONSBE PART OF THE CHANGE32ANNEX 1: METHODOLOGY34ANNEX 2: SOURCES AND RESOURCES35ANNEX 3: GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING ON NCDs38ANNEX 4: EXAMPLES OF RELATED STORIES40 THISGUIDEFOCUSESNOTONSTATISTICS,BUTONSTORIES. From bustling newsrooms to conflictzones, editors and reporters aroundthe world have taken on one of today’sbiggest but least visible health challenges:noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In these pages, they share why they foughtto put NCDs on the news agenda, how theyconvinced editors to run their pieces, andwhat happened when their stories hit theairwaves, the page or the screen. These arefirst-hand accounts of persistence, impact,and why this beat matters more than ever. FOREWORD Ihopethisguideequipsyouwithnewideas,freshangles,andtheconfidencetoputNCDswheretheybelong,atthecentreoftheglobalhealthconversation. Despite their imm