title: Communicating emerging infectious disease outbreaks to the public through local television news: public health officials as potential spokespeople.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess how West Nile virus (WNV) was reported to the American public on local television news and identify the main factors that influenced coverage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A representative sample of WNV stories that were reported on 122 local television news stations across the United States during October 2002, covering 67% of the nation's population, were coded for self-efficacy, comparative risk scenarios, symptoms and recommendations, high-risk individuals, and frame. In addition, public service professionals (PSPs) interviewed in the segments were identified. Comparisons were made between stories in which a PSP was interviewed and stories without an interview with respect to discussion of the 5 variables coded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1,371 health-related stories captured during the study period, 160 WNV stories aired, the second most common health topic reported. Forty-nine of the 160 WNV stories contained at least 1 of the 5 reporting variables. Forty-two PSPs were interviewed within 33 unique WNV stories. Public health officials composed 81% of all PSP interviews. Stories containing a public health official interview had 15.2 times (odds ratio 15.2, confidence interval 5.1-45.9) higher odds of reporting quality information, controlling for station affiliate or geographic location.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emerging infectious disease stories are prominently reported by local television news. Stories containing interviews with public health officials were also much more likely to report quality information. Optimizing the interactions between and availability of public health officials and the local news media may enhance disaster communication of emerging infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Suite H-3200, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-5770, USA. jpribb@umich.edu
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pribble
authors.forename: Erika F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Sonia V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kamat
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Wilkerson
authors.forename: Kenneth M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Hargarten
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058873:Pandemics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011634:Public Health / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013690:Television; D014481:United States; D014902:West Nile virus; D014922:Wisconsin