Getting it right in prime time: tools and strategies for media interaction.

Increasingly scientists are faced with the challenge of communicating with a public that may well have little understanding (or considerable misunderstanding) of their work. Bold headlines all over the world scream out urgent new health emergencies, from necrotizing fasciitis (Killer Bug Ate My Face) to avian influenza (Chicken Flu). When the popular media seek answers and information for the public, a communications strategy that uses the concept of message development and delivers timely and accurate information is very effective. Both reporters and the public have begun to ask probing questions: Why should physicians in the United States be concerned about an outbreak of Ebola in Zaire? Why is the risk for Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection higher when eating undercooked hamburger than when eating undercooked steak? Should we lose sleep over West Nile virus infection? It is incumbent on the public health community to provide readily understood answers and make the communications leap from medical science to public concern. Popular access to science provided by the media has understandably created more questions. Flow of information to the media can be facilitated by the " single overriding communication objectives " (SOCOs) approach. Use of this strategy early in the development of communication objectives streamlines data and focuses on the primary audiences. All concerned know what the message is, who the audience is, and who is going to deliver the message. This harmony is achieved by having investigators, collaborators, administrators, communications personnel, and key agency officials answer the following questions: 1) What is the key point of this interview?—Your statement should reflect what you would like to see as the lead paragraph in a newspaper story or broadcast news report about this subject. 2) What are the three facts or statistics you would like the public to remember after reading or hearing about this story? 3) Who is the main audience or population segment you would like this story to reach? Is there a secondary audience? 4) What is the single message your audience needs to take away from this report? 5) Who in your department will serve as the primary point of contact with the media and when will this person be available? These questions are at the core of translating scientific data into useful and direct messages for the public. The process requires that the investigator scan the entire empirical structure of available data for what needs to be at the …