Doctors
and media often have a love-hate relationship. Journalists from newspapers,
radio and TV regularly call on doctors as experts for health-related articles
and news segments. Doctors can provide
information about new medical advances and technology, give valuable advice on preventive care and treatments, as
well as and general medical facts. This type of guidance allows journalists to
present stories about health to their readers with greater detail and in the
right context.
When a doctor works with the media, he can
keep people informed about important health topics, help ensure that accurate
health information is disseminated, and establish him as expert regarding
medical issues, which ultimately can also serve as a means of building his
medical practice.
Doctors need to keep in mind that dealing
with the press can be a double-edged sword. A positive article can be very good
for one’s reputation, whereas a negative story can create an enormous amount of
harm. Therefore, it is important to establish a positive working relationship
with media so as to make sure that the health articles for which one is
interviewed are reported objectively, fairly, and accurately.
Some ways to do that are to get to know the
media-persons in the community, meeting them casually when they are not
actively working on a story, to talk about the importance of educating the
public about health issues with accurate, objective information, offering to
serve as a medical expert for articles that the journalist is working on. One
should only agree to be a source for topics about which one has deep subject
matter expertise. It also helps to call the correspondent when one reads about
an interesting study or other medical news that might be a good “news tip” for
the media outlet. The fact that a particular doctor passed an article idea on
to the journalist goes a long way towards building a mutual respect and
rapport.
When being interviewed, one should make sure
to talk about complex medical topics in simple, understandable terms, similar
to how one would communicate with a patient who does not have a medical background.
Also, the talk has to be in the form of short snippets of information that can
easily be used in audio and video, and can be easily quoted in print, just like
being with someone in a lift, having only until the fifth floor to explain a
complex topic concisely and in a compelling way
A doctor needs to be accessible to media. Media-persons
are often on tight deadlines, and appreciate it when one can get back to them
quickly, either to answer their questions or to serve as a source for an
interview.
A doctor should never underestimate the
knowledge level of a good medical journalist. They often understand complex
medical topics and concepts even though they did not go to a medical college.
The key is to treat the media with respect, always providing explanation where
needed.
A positive, productive working relationship
with the press benefits everyone, including the doctor and his practice, the media-persons,
as well as the general population who learn more about important health topics
through the media coverage.
Many doctors are
wary of talking to the media, because they are worried that this type of
exposure could be misconstrued by critics, who may see the practice as a form
of advertising. While serving as a medical expert for the
media ultimately could bring in more patients and help in building a doctor’s
practice, that end benefit should never be one’s primary motivation. A doctor’s
desire to serve as a medical expert for the media should be fueled by a desire
to ensure that journalists report medical topics objectively and accurately,
with a focus on medical advice that patients can really use. A focus on the
facts rather than on overtly marketing one’s practice directly establishes a
doctor as a subject matter expert whom more patients naturally would like to
have as their doctor. So the result is a win-win situation for all involved. The
doctor has not marketed himself or advertised, but has simply informed and
educated people.
As newspapers have
very limited space, the doctor’s remarks are often edited and compressed. As a
result, what finally appears in print may have little connection with the
original statements that the doctor made. To be available for media’s
follow-up questions help to ensure that the story and medical facts are
reported right. But a doctor should never insist on a complete prior review of
an article or segment before it is printed, as this might be perceived as a
form of censorship. But one can ask the journalist to read direct quotes back
or to at least go over any lingering questions to ensure that there are no
miscommunications. This approach helps both the doctor and the reporter look
better by avoiding any factual errors and results in a higher-quality finished
article.
Doctors may be
concerned about reporters who seem to be more interested in doing negative
stories that tend to portray doctors in a negative light. By
proving oneself as knowledgeable and by providing fact-based information, one can
very easily change the mind of a journalist who originally set out to do an
article or segment that would reflect negatively on the medical profession.
This approach benefits the media outlet as well as the doctors and patients.
The most important factor in fostering a
successful, productive relationship with the media is for doctors and
journalists to trust each other. There is a need to create long-term
relationships that can be tapped so that the public has access to reliable
medical information that they can trust.
