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June 2023In today’s media-saturated environment, an otolaryngologist’s chances of winding up face to face with a mainstream print journalist or onscreen reporter have risen considerably. This has been particularly evident since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when the public’s thirst for medical knowledge and advice took top billing in every media outlet’s daily editorial lineup.
Although becoming a go-to expert in the media can be personally and professionally rewarding, physicians must navigate a learning curve and consider some risks. Ask Justin H. Turner, MD, PhD, associate professor in otolaryngology and biomedical engineering and vice-chair for research in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Dr. Turner has interfaced with media outlets such as The Washington Post, USA Today, National Geographic, NBC News, ABC News, The New York Times, and CNN. “Serving as a medical source in the media comes with great responsibility,” he emphasized. “You are recognized as an expert, and what you say or recommend can often be taken very literally.”
Moreover, not all media outlets are created equally. Print, online, radio, and television journalism all differ in approach, protocols, depth of content, and more. Within each category, protocols and even journalistic standards may vary. Learning to navigate these differences is just one key to a successful relationship with the media.
ENTtoday spoke with otolaryngologists who interface regularly with media to learn how they safely and effectively operate in this fast-paced, headline-driven world, and what they think about the increased exposure of otolaryngology on media outlets.
Answering the Call
The COVID-19 pandemic translated to greater visibility for physicians of all stripes, especially otolaryngologists. These physicians and scientists had certainly not been “toiling in anonymity” before then—all credible journalists seek out sources based on criteria identifying them as especially valuable to their stories—but the pandemic shone a light on their work. “Although I had spoken to some media sources before, it was during the pandemic that I became more involved in being a medical source,” said Zara Patel, MD, professor of otolaryngology at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., who has worked with CNN, NBC, The New York Times, Reuters, and many other media outlets. “My longstanding research in smell disorders led me to becoming a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and advocating for loss of smell and taste to be added to the list of COVID-19 screening questions. As more people became affected, more media and news sources became interested in speaking to me about that.”
Benjamin Bleier, MD, director of endoscopic skull base surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, had been accustomed to fielding print media requests routed to him for response. Then, some of his published research drew widespread interest. “[The work] had a lot to do with viral infection and nasal immunity and, in particular, developing an understanding of new immune mechanisms in the nose that are responsible for why we get more infections in the winter—which pertains to both COVID and general upper respiratory tract infections,” Dr. Bleier explained. One of the papers, first published online in late 2022, (J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023;151:509-525) appeared in hundreds of papers globally, sparking multiple radio and TV interview requests ranging from the PBS NewsHour to the Weather Channel.
Some otolaryngologists, such as Nicole Aaronson, MD, MBA, a pediatric otolaryngologist at Nemours Children’s Health in Jacksonville, Fla., proactively seek media relationships. Her goal: to better educate the public. “I saw that a lot of patient families go online for their healthcare information and that much of that information is poor, biased, or written above the average American’s reading level. I wanted to help provide high-quality content that was accessible for families.”
I saw that a lot of patient families go online for their healthcare information and that much of that information is poor, biased, or written above the average American’s reading level. —Nicole Aaronson, MD, MBA