Journalists Discuss How Changes in the News Industry Have Affected Public Relations at Annual Conference for Public Information Officers
November 8, 2007 (Washington, D.C.)-- Some of the nation’s top health journalists gathered to share insights on how to best communicate health news in today’s media landscape at “Communicating Health News Across the Media Spectrum,” a conference for public information officers sponsored by EurekAlert and Spectrum Science Communications.Adam Voiland of U.S. News & World Report, Glenn O’Neal of USA Today, Sally Squires of The Washington Post, Ed Tobias of the Associated Press and Michael Waldholz of Bloomberg News all agreed that the Internet has dramatically changed newsrooms in the past two years. Newspapers can no longer rely just on press releases; they need multi-media content and information sources to link to on their Websites.
While the panel said the need to “fill the Internet” has put new demands on both reporters and public information professionals, they all agreed personal relationships are still the key to getting your group or cause in the news.
Here are some more tips and insights from the panel members-
Glenn O’Neal, Health & Medicine Assignment Editor, USA Today
Glenn stressed that the news industry is no longer compartmentalized -- newspapers and broadcast outlets have become multi-media. Providing as much information as you can, being reliable and timely, and being willing to discuss opposing views openly will win you the trust of reporters and editors. Like the other panelists, Glenn said he prefers to receive information from e-mail, and he will only reply if he’s interested in the information.
Sally Squires, Columnist and Nutrition & Health Writer, The Washington Post
Sally said there are both positive and negative aspects of the online age. She previously attended many medical meetings in person, but now gets the news primarily through Webcasts or teleseminars, which she doesn’t enjoy as much. She also commented that it’s almost impossible for her to receive mail because the Post’s mailroom has been moved to an off-site location because of the threat of anthrax. Sally said the more information you can cram into your e-mail, including links to original sources, the better. An attention-grabbing subject line will also help steer reporters to your e-mail.
Adam Voiland, Health, Medicine & Nutrition Reporter, U.S. News & World Report
Adam feels the healthcare communications field is a great place to be since people are excited and care about health issues. He enjoys working with public information officers to gather information, story ideas and sources, but gets annoyed when PIOs try to slant research results or are not transparent about who they are representing. He said he is most likely to call public information professionals he knows are reliable, timely and honest.
Ed Tobias, Assistant Management Editor, Associated Press Broadcast
In his 26 years at the Associated Press, Ed has seen the AP change from a text-oriented outlet to a multi-media news source. The AP has evolved to meet new demands from newspapers for video, audio and visual content. Ed said a human element is essential to getting your story covered, and public information officers should be prepared to offer doctors, patients before and after treatment, family members and others so reporters can craft a rich story. He also said it’s important that when you provide experts for an interview that they are able to translate jargon into more common terms.
Michael Waldholz, Managing Editor, Global Health, Science & the Environment, Bloomberg News
Michael finds health stories with an economic angle most compelling. Because Bloomberg is an online outlet with a very high subscription price, he feels the turnaround is quicker for him than most print and broadcast reporters. While he agrees the Internet has changed how we exchange information, he feels that personal relationships are timeless. He will always pay more attention to information sent by PIOs and PR people he trusts and has worked with in the past, and he values people that he knows he can go to in a pinch.