Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Katherine Clegg Smith, PhD, Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway Rm 726, Baltimore, MD 21205, 4105020025, kasmith@jhsph.edu

The news media serve as an important source of health information, with research documenting its importance in improving knowledge and promoting behavior change, such as has been seen in relation to tobacco. Health advocates are increasingly charged with working through the news media to communicate with the public and disseminate research results widely, on the basis that if the public is not made aware of advances in knowledge and/or understanding, so it potential effects are necessarily limited. Alongside critical examinations of health messages in the news media, effective use of the media requires a greater understanding of the communication objectives of leaders in science and treatment, alongside a review of how these objectives are currently being met through news media channels.

The objective of this presentation is to examine data from fifteen qualitative in-depth interviews with leading cancer scientists, communications specialists and health journalists as to the role of the news media in dissemination of scientific research. Themes include expectations of effects of news coverage on knowledge, behavior and engagement with prevention interventions, clinical trials, the intended audience for media messages, and the process of translating complex findings for public consumption.

The proposed research has significance for several areas of public health, specifically improving public engagement with advances in prevention and health care treatment, and the use of media advocacy for public health goals. We intend to improve understanding of the role played by the news media in communication between scientists and clinicians and the public.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• Assess the value of data gathered from qualitative interviews with key health media stakeholders for gaining insight into the nature of news media coverage of science.
• Describe 3 common objectives between scientists and journalists in terms of media coverage of scientific advances.
• Evaluate the efficacy of the news media as a communication channel between cancer scientists and the general public.

Keywords: Communication, Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation