DCPP Finds an Eager Audience in Journalists: Links to Information and Resources Facilitates Evidence-Based Reporting

DCPP Finds an Eager Audience in Journalists: Links to Information and Resources Facilitates Evidence-Based Reporting

by Nina Pruyn

The news media around the world play two important roles—educator and watchdog. With that in mind, the Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP) set out to ensure dissemination of its “best health buys” to the media, hoping that journalists would influence policymakers and increase the general public’s awareness of important global health priorities.

Media attention has greatly exceeded the expectations of the project. The launch of the DCPP publications in April 2006 generated a lot of press, and stories referencing evidence from Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition (DCP2), continue to be published regularly. Stories by freelancers, staff reporters, and groups such as Voice of America and the Associated Press have run in newspapers, journals, and on the web, and broadcast on radio and television.

DCPP developed a comprehensive media strategy from the outset in order to ensure a wide range of print and broadcast coverage throughout the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch phases of the project. Media activities fall under two categories: providing the news media with DCP2’s key messages and supporting material and ensuring strategic contact and collaboration between journalists and DCP2 editors, authors, and other resource people.

The ultimate goal of working with the media is to deepen policy commitment to evidence-based decisionmaking and cost-effective programming, ultimately improving global health. The strategy to achieve this goal was developed in collaboration with institutional partners, the World Bank, World Health Organization, the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Getting the Word Out

DCPP editors and authors have traveled the globe to announce the launch of the DCPP publications and their importance. During the launch, DCPP organized 10 press briefings and media roundtables around the world, spanning three weeks. These events took place in Brazil, Chile, China, India, Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, and South Africa. Additional press briefings have been held in Canada, Chile, Egypt, Italy, and Tanzania with national and regional audiences. DCPP has reached more than 250 health reporters through these targeted events. In addition, the World Bank’s Online Media Briefing Center covered the launch of the DCPP publications, sending out the press release and supplemental information to more than 7,000 journalists worldwide.

The DCPP Web site has a news page that is linked to a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed—a software format used to publish frequently updated digital content—to alert the media to any additional news, features, events, or fact sheets. The news page includes journalist resources, such as press releases, announcements of significant DCPP events and reviews, and links to additional materials and contacts. A link also makes it possible to quickly do a Google News search on the project and find related stories.

Five press releases have been written and distributed globally via wire service, direct distribution, and the DCPP website and translated into up to four languages. A press kit was developed for the launch (including general project materials, fact sheets, figures, resource persons) and distributed at the press briefings and on the DCPP Web site along with copies of Priorities in Health, the less-technical companion volume to DCP2. These materials provided the names of experts to interview, data, and reference information to journalists as they worked on related stories. The press kits also included a card with details about the DCPP Web site for easy access to further information such as fact sheets and graphs.

Feature stories commissioned by PRB have resulted in a major contribution to the Web site. Fifteen feature stories, highlighted on the home page and included in the RSS feed, have added a human dimension to DCP2’s scientific findings. Freelancers in Kenya, India, Mexico, and the U.S. were asked to develop stories related to the priorities in their regions. The freelancers have chosen to report on topics ranging from maternal health worldwide and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean to cataract surgery in Vietnam and smoking cessation programs in Croatia. Each story has provided insight into health issues around the world and inspired additional stories.

Between April 3, 2006 and March 31, 2007, there were more than 42,000 hits (116 hits per day) to the news pages of the Web site, nearly 21,000 hits (57 hits per day) to the features pages, and almost 70,000 hits (190 hits per day) to the RSS Feed pages. A look at the entry points into the site shows that about 11 percent of the users initiate a visit as a result of information transmitted to them through the RSS feed—which highlights added news, features, events, and fact sheets.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell which pages journalists are specifically linking to in their search for information as we do not track information on specific users.

News Coverage Exceeded Expectations

In the 12 months since the books’ launch in April 2006, the print and electronic media have published over 375 stories related to DCPP. In the first week alone, major news outlets carried over 280 news stories around the world. These articles were published in 26 countries, including 33 states/districts in the United States. Journalists interviewed dozens of DCPP editors and authors for print and broadcast stories, including a Washington Post feature, several Associated Press stories, and Voice of America radio and TV spots. This count does not, however, include the numerous references made to DCP2 in technical papers or those news stories that use DCPP information but do not explicitly reference the book.

Several stories featured the release of DCP2 as a major public health resource. Additional pieces have included opinion articles, peer-reviewed journal articles, and book reviews. Stories have ranged from focusing on the cost-effectiveness of health programs (especially how health without wealth is possible); to specific interventions such as tobacco taxes and a polypill for cardiovascular disease; to specific diseases and conditions such as depression, HIV, and malaria; to the ease of access to the information through the Web site and custom books.

Additionally, authors frequently reference DCPP material in journal articles and technical papers globally.

Building Links to Health Experts

By sponsoring journalists to participate in technical meetings, DCPP has engaged health reporters in dialogue, both increasing access to health experts at the country level and building capacity for evidence-based reporting. In March 2007, DCPP, the East, Central Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA), and the Africa’s Health in 2010 Project conducted a workshop with 19 journalists and ministry of health representatives from 7 ECSA countries. The workshop focused on increasing health knowledge related to regional priorities as well as data use and reporting. The inclusion of health professionals enabled relationship-building and allowed country teams to develop post-workshop commitments in which the journalists and ministry representatives will support each other. The workshop coincided with the 2007 Regional Health Ministers’ Conference, and the journalists were able to interview health ministers and experts for stories that were published in their national newspapers. The journalists developed a conference newspaper to highlight the priorities and experts’ comments that they found newsworthy.

In April 2007, DCPP sponsored journalists to attend the Priorities in Health Seminar in Santiago, Chile, conducted by the Pan American Health Organization, the World Bank and the Population Reference Bureau. Journalists were included in four of the five country teams attending the seminar. Additionally, a media roundtable and lunch with 19 journalists provided an opportunity for technical experts to answer the reporters’ questions.

Follow-up with journalists

To date, journalists have stated that the health information in DCPP publications and on the Web site is “very useful” in their health reporting. The vast majority of journalists (91 percent) surveyed post-DCPP media events have written a story using DCPP information. The most popular DCPP materials included the three DCPP publications. Journalists also said press releases, fact sheets, and feature stories also aided their health reporting. Over half of the journalists surveyed visit the DCPP Web site once a month or more often for updates and reference information.

A listserv was developed to follow-up with the ECSA media workshop participants, to allow continued communication, debate, and story development. To date, controversial topics such as male circumcision and use of DDT for indoor residual spraying in the prevention of malaria have been debated and journalists’ experiences in these areas shared. In addition, DCPP actively seeks expert input from editors and authors when needed, as was the case in the discussion of DDT. DCPP editor, Joel Breman, and research associate, Yesim Tozan, from the Fogarty International Center at the U.S. National Institutes of Health provided a fully-referenced summary review for the journalists on the research done related to the effects of DDT on human health. The information was sent to the journalists to use in stories. As DCPP continues to serve as a resource for the media, the listserv is a useful mechanism for health journalists who often identify the lack of current information as a barrier to effective reporting. In fact, 100 percent of the media survey respondents requested membership to such a listserv.

Finally, it is important to note that developing and carrying out a comprehensive media strategy is much more time-consuming than most people believe, but it is a worthwhile investment to ensure important public health messages reach a wider policy audience as well as the general public.