Center for Health Communication
The Center for Health Communication prepares public health leaders of all kinds to effectively communicate critical health information, influence policy decisions, counter misinformation, and increase the public’s trust in health expertise.
Engaging with the Press: A Guide for Perplexed Readers and Sources
“Engaging with the Press: A Guide for Perplexed Readers and Sources” was written by Dick Tofel for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication. It was inspired and informed by Dick’s Center for Health Communication class “Engaging with the Press: A Practical Look at Health Communication.”
Motivations behind the resource
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare how little we have invested in preparing public health professionals to navigate today’s media environment.
Brilliant scientific minds interviewed by the press spoke in complex, impenetrable jargon. They conveyed certainty where it was not justified. They were caught off-guard by misinformation. And they missed opportunity after opportunity to communicate how science truly works.
These communication missteps should have surprised no one. We train scientists and health professionals to collect and analyze evidence. Yet we’re far less intentional about equipping them to credibly communicate it in an increasingly skeptical and fragmented world.
But make no mistake: We will find ourselves staring down the barrel of another pandemic. And next time, we must do better.
That’s why the Center for Health Communication commissioned this resource, written by veteran news executive and Center faculty affiliate Richard J. (Dick) Tofel.
Read by section
Introduction
Hear from Dick Tofel about the motivations behind writing this resource.
What motivates the press?
Learn about the difference between specialist and generalist reporters, pressures on reporters, building relationships, and more…
What motivates editors?
Learn about what motivates editors, including competition, mission, craft, cost, and more…
What motivates publishers?
Learn about how advertising, readers, and events motivate publishers.
How a source's material is presented – and received
Learn about how the material you provide to the press will be presented and received.
Problems for readers
Learn about problems for readers, including accuracy, fairness, and sophistication.
Problems for sources
Learn about problems for sources, including competing agendas with reporters and colleagues, reliability, and the afterlife of stories.