title: Communication monitoring: shaping CDC's emergency risk communication efforts.
abstract: CDC develops and delivers health messages for a variety of audiences, including the public, health care professionals, public health researchers and practitioners, and policy makers. News media outlets--because of their broad reach and potential to influence knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors--are major channels for disseminating messages to these audiences. CDC has routinely monitored news outlets to identify message/information gaps and opportunities. The 9/11 terrorist attacks and the anthrax incidents that followed required CDC to transform its media monitoring system into a broader communication monitoring system, with both listening and telling functions, to support CDC's public health emergency response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. cprue@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Prue
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lackey
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Swenarski
authors.forename: Judy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gantt
mesh_terms: D000881:Anthrax; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D011635:Public Health Administration; D023481:Terrorism; D014481:United States