Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Joel London, MPH¹, David E. Nelson, MD, MPH², Linda Pederson, MA, PhD², Gabrielle Robinson, MPH², Stephen Babb, MPH¹, and W. Douglas Evans, PhD³. (1) Office on Smoking and Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3005 Chamblee Tucker Rd, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-5439, IZL4@cdc.gov, (2) Office of Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NW MS-K50, Atlanta, GA 30341, (3) Health Promotion Research, RTI International, 701 13th Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20005

By conducting ongoing outreach to the news media, public health communicators can position themselves to take maximum advantage of unexpected opportunities to educate the public on important health issues. In April 2005 ABC “World News Tonight” anchor Peter Jennings announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He died four months later. CDC's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and other tobacco control organizations approached ABC News to explore the feasibility of working together to use this tragic occasion as a teachable moment. ABC News expressed strong interest in pursuing a partnership, and OSH began working with ABC and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations to realize it. ABC News ultimately broadcast feature stories on cessation and other tobacco topics on an almost nightly basis during its November 2005 “World News Tonight” broadcasts. OSH provided ABC with data, scientific evidence, and best practices recommendations. ABC relied on CDC's scientific expertise to ensure that its information was accurate. OSH also closely coordinated its efforts with partners. Preliminary data from OSH's national news media surveillance system indicate that television coverage of tobacco issues in general and cessation in particular increased during November 2005. Calls to the National Network of Quitlines also increased. Keys to the success of this effort included the ability to recognize a unique defining event, proactive news media outreach, perseverance, established relationships with reporters, coordination with partners, and the ability to rapidly provide accurate information. There will also be a discussion of challenges encountered and lessons learned.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to

• Identify three factors that contribute to the success of proactive news media outreach efforts.
• Describe the role that coordination with partners plays in the success of proactive news media outreach efforts.

Keywords: Communication, Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation