Table of Contents
The media is the primary means by which consumers and policymakers obtain information
about health care, about registered nurses, and about the nursing profession.
While the situation is gradually improving, RNs continue to be under-represented
in media coverage of health issues – even where nurses are the primary
experts. The purpose of this independent study module (ISM) is to help
prepare RNs to use the media to advance the objectives of their nursing
organizations. Specifically, this program will provide basic information
about strategic media relations, media relations activities/tools, and
about challenges and opportunities of interviewing in different media
formats. Objectives:
The goal of effective media relations is to reach and persuade to action
members of a targeted audience who can help advance the core objectives
of your nursing organization. From health care consumers to policymakers,
Americans obtain the bulk of their information about health care from
the media. Registered nurses (RNs) must take note and be involved in media
relations.
While the situation is improving, nurses remain under-represented in
media coverage, even on issues where they are primary experts, such as
school health, pain management, and end-of-life decision-making. However,
as RNs become more involved in programs such as the American Nurses Association's
(ANA)
RN=Real News
media speakers program, the situation is improving.
Along with the ANA, some of the ANA's Constituent Member Associations
(CMAs) also have active media outreach programs.
First, Take a Step Back: Media Relations in Context
Media relations is just one among many tools your nursing organization
can use to advance its objectives. It's important to take a step back
from just thinking about interviewing tips and techniques to look at the
media relations tool in its strategic context.
First, know your nursing organization's objectives - What concrete thing
do you want to happen to benefit your RNs and their patients? Do you want
to see a particular piece of legislation passed; achieve a rise in the
number of public schools in your area with RNs on staff; have citizens
show up for a health care public forum?
Second, it's a good idea to take a look at how your organization's issues
are - or aren't --
already
playing out in current media coverage.
Are you being heard?
Once your organization has its objectives in place, it should choose
(or should already have chosen) communications objectives that clearly
support the organizational objectives. Media relations activities are
tools, not ends, and should be determined and deployed only after the
organizational and communications objectives have been set.
Determining your organization's communications objectives involves answering
some further questions. Who (which audiences) do you want to reach and
with what messages and action steps? Once you've determined your target
audience(s), you can decide which message points and action steps you
want to deliver. (See below for more on messages and action steps.)
After the media outreach concludes or is well under way, assess the impact
of your organization's media relations strategy around whatever issue
you were highlighting. Did you receive coverage? Was it extensive or cursory,
positive or negative? Was your audience action step conveyed? Did your
media outreach spark ongoing dialog, e.g., letters to the editor? Is there
any evidence that some members of the audience followed through and actually
took
the action step?
Simply put, what worked, what didn't, and why? Doing an after-the-fact
assessment can help your organization refine its approach as you prepare
to build on what you've accomplished -- and plan further media outreach.
It's important for your nursing organization - and for you, as an individual
RN - to try to keep pace with media coverage (or lack of coverage) of
nursing issues. In addition, every interview you view or hear - if you
watch and listen critically and actively, not passively - can teach you
more about interviewing skills.
So, read newspapers, magazines, and nursing and health trade publications;
listen to the radio; watch TV news programs; monitor Internet coverage
of nursing issues. Talking to your fellow RNs about media coverage of
nursing. Don't "tune out" negative or inaccurate portrayals of nurses
and nursing. Notice when a nursing perspective is missing entirely in
a story where an RN should have been among the experts. Write, phone,
or e-mail the producer or sponsor of a program (or advertising image)
if it offers an accurate and positive representation of nurses and nursing
issues. Voice your displeasure with inaccurate or unbalanced coverage.
But do so constructively - offer the facts; offer access to your nursing
organization, and access to RN experts.
Sending a letter to the editor, disseminating a news release, and telephoning
a reporter are all examples of proactive media relations. As your nursing
organization becomes more involved in using media as a strategic tool,
its leaders will want to be more proactive, not simply wait for reporters
to contact the organization. (Waiting for reporters to reach out is termed
"media services" or "reactive" media relations.) Most organizations use
both proactive and reactive media strategies.
What Makes "News?"
The word tells the story -- news most often is something
new
.
News also may be an existing issue that can be "packaged" as new or on
which the latest development can be reported. News may be controversial,
or may carry a strong human-interest angle.
As you approach the priority goals of your nursing organization in terms
of using media relations as a tool, keep in mind what reporters and their
audiences consider news. This can help you position your story so that
it has a better chance for coverage.
Advice for First Timers
As someone approaching a media interview for the first time, it may seem
natural to feel nervous. Remember, however, that as a nurse you are already
an effective communicator. You were educated to develop and communicate
life-and-death messages every day. You are an expert on your profession,
on your specialty area of nursing, and, more broadly can speak to health
care issues in a more authoritative "voice" than that of a layperson.
As an RN, you are a premier patient advocate. Nurses are trusted professionals.
The public is ready to hear your message.
Preparing for the Interview
Whether a reporter is referred to you by ANA Communications or by your
CMA, or the reporter contacts you directly, here are some questions
you
can ask him or her. Asking these questions may help to better ensure that
the interview best meets your nursing organization's objectives and serves
the reporter's audience. Feel free to inquire of the reporter why he or
she is covering the particular story - and why now? Ask who are the other
individuals who've already been interviewed for the story. Ask the journalist
how far along he or she is in developing the story. If you can get answers
to these questions, it will help you better position
your
contribution
to the story.
However, reporters generally don't like to share their questions in writing
with an interviewee before an interview. They want the flexibility that
the give-and-take of an interview can give, and they're not looking for
"canned" responses to canned questions.
Strive for a Patient Focus
An important tip is to keep the focus of your story on the health care
consumer. With imagination and preparation, this is almost always possible
- even if, on first consideration, the story appears only to be about
nurses, rather than about their patients.
Reporters and their audiences are always more attentive if they can see
themselves in the story. Remember that you are not speaking to your fellow
nurses in most media interviews. Strive for a patient-focused story that
will awaken that "what's in it for me" ("WIIFM") response on the part
of the audience - The goal of "shooting for the WIIFM" is not to appeal
to peoples' base or crass motives, but to frankly recognize that everyone
in today's culture is bombarded by hundreds - often thousands - of messages
every day. Making the audience care can spell the difference between a
story that only momentarily engages people's interest and a story they
actually might
act
on. Plan ahead to craft an approach and a message
that will appeal to your audience's "enlightened self-interest."
The most important goal for an interviewee is to persuade the audience
to take a behaviorally measurable action step - to do something concrete
that will benefit your nursing organization, something that (at least
in theory)
could
be measured, even if your nursing organization
doesn't have the time or resources to make the measurement. Remember that
the reporter is a tool and the interview itself is a tool - tools whose
object is to prompt the audience to
act
.
Reporters know that any thoughtful interviewee approaches the interview
with an agenda for the audience. Knowing this is the case doesn't "turn
off" the reporter - S/he expects it. The reporter simply wants a good,
solid, accurate interview that brings some new angle to the story. Expressing
your nursing organization's agenda need not detract from the interview;
on the contrary, it can help focus and bring it alive.
It is not enough anymore simply to hope that the audience will read,
hear, or see your story and be "better informed" or "have a greater understanding"
of your issue. You want more. You want at least some members of your audience
to
act
in a way that may help realize a concrete goal of your nursing
organization. So, the first step, of course, is to know your nursing organization's
goal(s) in relation to the particular story. You need to clearly convey
the action step to the audience. This means stating a concrete behavior
you can actually visualize your audience doing - preferably
today --
such as phoning, writing, or sending a letter or an e-mail to an elected
official, or showing up for a public health forum.
The questions a journalist asks - and doesn't ask - may reveal three
things. They show his/her views of nursing. They may show his/her ignorance
of nursing. Overall, they reflect the paradigms and prejudices about nursing
circulating in the broader culture of which s/he is a part.
You may be frustrated with the level, "quality," or perceived fairness
of questions a reporter asks. Your answers can help the reporter improve
his or her understanding of your issue, and s/he can convey that fuller
awareness to the audience. Every interview is an opportunity for nursing
and an opportunity for you to help "grow" a nursing-friendly reporter.
In an interview, if the reporter asks you a pointed or difficult question,
it's most likely that s/he is probing for different sides of the story,
or working from the perspective that controversy is news. The reporter
also may simply be attempting to focus your response or to elicit more
than a simplistic answer.
It is truly rare to be confronted with a hostile reporter or an intentionally
hostile question. The key to a successful response is to know your message
in advance, to be prepared to deliver it in a positive way without being
deflected, and, if necessary, to be prepared to build a verbal "bridge"
back to your message if you
are
sidetracked.
Difficult Questions
This is not to say there will never be difficult questions - or even
the infrequent hostile one. The best way to prepare for difficult questions
is to anticipate them and to formulate your responses. Think of the question
you mostly hope you
won't
get, then develop an answer or a way
to "bridge" back to your message. Brainstorm with a colleague, friend,
or family member. Encourage them to toss you some curve balls.
When talking about RN wages, for example, if you are asked a question
such as "Isn't this just all about the money?" don't say, "That's not
true," or "It's not all about the money." To do so is to repeat the negative
slant of the question.
Instead, say something like, "If we want to keep nurses working as nurses,
we need to be paid enough to support ourselves and our families. We're
expected to be there for our patients; we expect our employers to be there
for us."
When challenged by a difficult question, don't say, "No comment," or
"Can this be off the record?" To the reporter and to the audience, a "no-comment"
response invariably sounds like the interviewee has something to hide.
Nothing is "off the record" to a reporter. From the moment you accept
the reporter's call until the moment you disconnect from the call - or
from the moment you walk into a studio reception area until the moment
the door closes behind you and your feet hit the sidewalk as you leave
- you are actually, or potentially, "on the record." The receptionist
and the production and technical staff - are all "ears" for the reporter.
After the interview, it's best not to ask to see a draft of the story
before it runs. Reporters almost always decline to show their drafts,
because interviewees frequently backtrack, trying to "correct" or second-guess
themselves. Reporters prefer to go with the first "take." The interviewee's
initial response is likely to be fresher -- less formal or academic sounding.
That's another reason why it's important to prepare for the interview
- so your first response is your nursing organization's best response.
In any interview - but especially if the interview is live
It's important to be able to "bridge" back to your message point if you're
sidetracked. If needed, buy yourself a few seconds by stating a "mantra"
such as "Nurses care about the health of all our patients."
Or simply answer the question you
wish
you had been asked! You'd
be surprised how often interviewees do just this! Watch and listen to
interviews, and you'll see that often the interviewee's answer doesn't
"follow" the question, and the reporter will simply move the interview
along from the answer given instead of backtracking to his or her original
question. You also can bridge back to your message point with a lead-in
statement like, "I want to keep focused on the patient here."
Message Points and Soundbites
From a media relations perspective, the best message points are ones
that couple the issue you want to raise with the action step you want
your audience to take. An example is: "Pain can be managed. Speak up for
yourself or your loved one. Ask for a registered nurse and tell him or
her how you're feeling. Don't suffer in silence."
There is no "magic number" of message points to deliver in an interview,
but approach the interview knowing what you feel you
must
convey
and want the audience to remember. Paradoxically, the more message points
you try to convey, the more muddled and "pointless" your interview may
seem. Three, two -- or even "just" one -- message point(s) are sufficient
for all but the longest, most in-depth interviews. Remember that your
interview will likely be edited, unless it is live. You want your key
message point to stand out, to reach the audience, so keep that point
as your focus and don't hesitate to express it more than once. Practice
beforehand with a colleague with a "mock interview." Can the other RN
discern your message point and action step when you respond to the interview
question?
One of the best ways to deliver a message memorably is to use a soundbite.
A soundbite is simply a brief and memorable statement of your message.
Compare the following: (1.) "Reducing the RN-to-patient ratio adversely
impacts on patient safety and quality care." (2.) "When you cut nurses,
patients bleed." Which one sticks in your mind, is livelier? Which is
more likely to be picked up by a reporter or editor and used in a story?
There is no magic length for a soundbite. However, experienced interviewees
often speak of the "seven-second rule." Don't necessarily take out a stopwatch,
but do keep your soundbite short.
Message points and soundbites should be stand-alone statements. Beginning
your statement with, "Yes," "No," "But," or "Well," and the like can reduce
your message's chances of being used. Because that initial word may have
to be edited out, a producer may simply choose not to use the statement
that follows. The same holds true for starting a statement with "Today,"
"This morning," or "Yesterday." Suppose your interview is broadcast tomorrow
or the next day? Preparing and using stand-alone statements, without extraneous
lead-ins, will increase your message's likelihood of "surviving" to reach
the audience.
Interviews come in more than just one "flavor." For instance, you may
be asked to participate in a panel discussion (also known as a studio
discussion). Remember that the panel discussion is not a casual conversation.
As with any interview, you will approach it with your agenda - your nursing
organization's message and audience action step - firmly in mind.
You may be interested in other panelists' points of view, but don't subside
into a passive, "just-listening" mode. Be civil and positive, but it's
perfectly okay - and it's expected - for you to assert a message, to repeat
it, and to strive to have the "last word" that will be remembered by the
audience. Strive for a message that is unique among the discussants; offer
a nursing perspective. If there's no "opening" for you to deliver your
message point, you may need to create one by interrupting the flow of
discussion with a phrase such as,"I'd like to make a point about that."
The Internet
The Internet has become an often-valuable research information resource
for RNs preparing to be interviewed. However, the Internet also is growing
as a media format in its own right. A single story "published" on the
Internet's World Wide Web can combine features of the three traditional
media formats -- television (video), radio (audio), and print (text).
Many traditional news outlets, such as daily newspapers, have Internet
counterparts. And the number of Internet-only news outlets seems to grow
every day. Nurses are now among the experts who participate in real-time,
on-line interviews carried on the Internet, answering questions and discussing
issues not just with the reporter, but also directly with members of the
audience.
Ever heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words"? This saying
is nowhere more true than on television, and if the picture
moves
,
so much the better!
When preparing for an interview that will be televised, think about what
"visuals" you can bring. Depending on the interview, your visual may be
a retractable needlestick device, a pair of latex gloves, or something
else - it depends on the story. The basic visual no nurse should be without
is the "RN" pin.
If you can
show
your story, rather than only talk about it, T.V.
reporters and their audiences will appreciate it. But using visuals means
having them with you, which means thinking about the possibilities ahead
of time. Put "visuals" on your own interview preparation checklist.
"B-roll" is background footage. Because T.V. is an "image-hungry" medium,
reporters and producers often will tape footage to run with the story.
This B-roll will run while the reporter's voice-over is "setting up" the
story. Watch the news, and you'll see a lot of B-roll. If the story is
on treating premature infants, for example, the footage may be a "pan"
over the incubators in a neonatal unit. If the story is on home health
care, the B-roll may be of an RN pulling up to the client's home in his
or her automobile, getting out of the car, and walking up to the front
door. Reporters may ask you to be available for shooting B-roll. If you
have questions about how the B-roll will be used in the finished story
-- ask.
In summary, this independent study module has provided specific information
about strategic media relations, media relations activities/tools, and
about the challenges and opportunities of interviewing in different media
formats. The ultimate goal is to enable you as a nurse to use the media
to advance the objectives of your nursing organizations.
Some resources available to RNs interested in gaining media relations/interview
skills experience include:
--
RN=Real News: ANA Media Relations & You:
This is a media
training tool produced by ANA Communications for use by registered nurses.
The tool consists of a videotape and a companion resource manual. The
tool was developed for distribution to each ANA Constituent Member Association
(CMA) and also is available for sale from American Nurses Publishing.
--ANA's
RN=Real News
program. Contact ANA Communications at (202)
651-7028, and visit the
RN=Real News
/"Nurse's Toolkit" area of
ANA's NursingWorld website - www.nursingworld.org
.
Get media relations tips, and sign up to be an ANA media speaker.
--Contact your CMA's communications/public relations director or committee.
--Contact the public information office at your health care facility
or research/academic institution.
The following terms are frequently used in media relations. Knowing these terms can help you feel more comfortable in working both with journalists and public relations/communications professionals.
Soundbites may convey important messages, encourage audiences to take action, or both. They should be brief and memorable. Some soundbites are gems of concision, others may be a bit longer. When you're listening to the radio news or watching a TV newscast, listen for the interviewee's soundbites. Then, try your own hand at crafting soundbites. Here are some examples:
"Put patients before profits."
"Every patient deserves a nurse."
"Ask for an RN. Ask for a real nurse."
"When you cut nurses, patients bleed."
"When you're a patient, what you don't know can hurt you."
"In the future, your 'doctor' may be a nurse."
"The only reason patients are hospitalized is to receive 24-hour nursing care."
"We can manage patients' pain. Ask an RN."
"The aide who's flushing your I.V. line today may have been serving up a 'Slushy' two weeks ago."
"We have kids in the crosshairs in America's schools."
(Follow-through: "Your school nurse can mount a violence prevention campaign. But does your child's school have an RN? Ask the principal.")
Communicating Science News
, National Association of Science Writers. Greenlawn New York, 1996.
How to Work With the Media
, by James Alan Fox and Jack Levin. SAGE Publications, Newbury Park, CA, 1993.
Larey Lewton, Kathleen,
Public Relations in Health Care: A Guide for Professionals
. AHA, Chicago, 1995.
Media Advocacy and Public Health
. By Lawrence Wallack et al, SAGE Publications. Newbury Park, CA, 1993.
Meet the Press…and Succeed ! A Handbook for Nurse Educators. American
Association of Colleges of Nursing, Washington, D.C., 1995. Use this checklist to prepare for your own interview, to look back on
and evaluate your performance after the interview has concluded, or to
evaluate a colleague's interview performance.
_____ Did nurse identify self as such (registered nurse or RN)? (Or
did reporter do so?)
_____ Did nurse identify self as member of SNA (or name ANA, if national
issue)?
_____Did nurse convey at least one message point in interview that you
could identify? What was the message point?:
_____ Did the RN convey a clear action step for the reporter's audience
to take?
What was the action step?: __________________________
_____ Were there other message points conveyed? (Either equal in weight
to the main point, or supporting the main point)
If so, what were they?: _____________________________
_____ Did RN differentiate, as appropriate, between personal views and
the official policies and positions of the CMA (ANA)?
_____ Did RN respond with complete, stand-alone statements?
_____ Could you identify the RN's "sound bite?"
If so, what was it?: ________________________________
Did the RN repeat reporters' negative statements, or did s/he respond
in a positive manner?____________________
_____ If the reporter (intentionally or unintentionally) deflected the
interview away from the RN's key message. Was the RN successful in "bridging"
back to the message?
_____ Did the interview afford an opportunity for the RN to use a "visual"?
_____ Before or after the interview, did the RN offer the reporter additional
resources (either for the story at hand or for a future story)?
_____ During, before, or after the interview, did the RN offer the reporter's
readers/viewers/listeners any resources?
What were they?:
_____ General comments: Did the RN appear confident and professional?
Did you gain the sense that s/he was an expert?:
Additional comments/suggestions: 
To obtain the materials that this CE is based on, see " RN=Real News: ANA Media Relations & You which can be purchased online.
RN=Real News: Media Relations & You*
by Michael Stewart, MFA, MA
Stewart is formerly the
senior public relations specialist for the American Nurses Association, is
currently the executive director of the Association of State and
Territorial Chronic Disease Program Directors, and is the proprietor of
Advancefactory
which offers media relations skill-building
sessions for RNs and the National Association of State Emergency Medical
Services Directors.
* RN=Real News: Media Relations & You is copyrighted
by the American Nurses Association.
By the completing this independent study module, taking and successfully
passing the nursing post test, you will be able to :
Interview Evaluation Checklist
_____ If so, what?:
Next : Take test
