Wrestling with the FDA recall e-mail avalanche
Filed under: Health journalism, Hot Health Headline, Public health
NPR’s April Fulton recently blogged about a phenomenon familiar to anyone with a subscription to the FDA’s recall e-mail list, or their RSS feed, or their Twitter account: a late rush of random recall messages that would require a prohibitive amount of time to sort and research. 
For example, in a two-minute span on June 15, @FDArecalls on Twitter buzzed with messages about multivitamin labels, fish, organic chocolate peanuts, white peppers and soy sprouts. Fulton also notes that many of the notices come out late in the day.
She proposes some sort of flagging or rating system to make it easier to figure out which stories are big deals and which aren’t. She may be on to something. The FDA could make these releases more accessible and useful for journalists and consumers. At the very least, it should be possible to explain the location and magnitude of the public health danger in a way that could be understood at a glance.
What other tips or tricks help you figure out which recalls are relevant to your readers? Do you have suggestions as to how the FDA could makes its releases more accessible or useful? Let us know.
Blog: H1N1 shows gov’t needs social media
On the blog Social Media Strategery, Michael Dumlao writes about how the rapid viral spread of disinformation about H1N1 showed the need for government agencies to engage the public directly via social media and to provide steady streams of accessible, accurate information in order to control rumors similar to those delivered by the Centers for Disease Control via Twitter.
AHCJ resources for covering flu, pandemics and preparednessDumlao quotes Department of Defense new and social media director Jack Holt as saying that if the government is not an active participant in the social media universe, then it abdicates control of that arena to folks who are, and to folks who may be impersonating government agencies, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, Dumlao says, it’s the government’s job to engage social media and protect the public from potentially malicious or damaging disinformation.
Dumlao chronicles the well-documented spread of H1N1 disinformation and how it was contained once formal media started to address the inaccurate claims, and suggests that the government must use social media to monitor the spread false information at the same time that it is using it to disseminate a more accurate picture of events.
Six rules to tweet by
Twitter’s days as a hangout for a geeky few are over. Astronauts, senators and, gasp, journalists are regularly telling the world what they’re doing in 140 or fewer characters.
More people now visit Twitter than the Web sites of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The popularity of Twitter, and other social media, led the Journal (my former employer) to issue some dos and don’ts for its news staff last week that spawned a backlash from the Twitterati over what some say is a recipe for boringness.
Seems to me that Twitter, like the telephone or e-mail, is just another tool for communication. It’s not inherently bad, but it can be used badly. There’s a risk for journalists in tweeting, yet the rewards are ample. Since I joined Twitter last September, I’ve gotten more ideas for stories and blog posts than I can count. I’ve found sources, made new friends and landed leads for jobs. I’ve also had fun.
Here are a few highly subjective tips for a better Twitter experience.
Be Smart: Twitter is a public and searchable place. I think it’s possible, and even beneficial, to tweet about topics you’re reporting on without giving away specific stories, but be conservative if you’re worried about that. If you post a query for help on something, keep it neutral and focused.
Be Interesting: Offer tidbits to the world that you would want to read. File dispatches about meetings or events that capture the mood and highlights. Pass on links to cool material and use a tool like bit.ly to shorten URLs. Don’t bore your followers, or they’ll drop you.
Be Neighborly: Nobody likes a nonstop self-promoter. It’s fine to use Twitter to draw attention to your work, but you’ll soon be tuned out if that’s all you do. Ask questions, and answer those of others when you can. Pass along, or retweet, noteworthy updates from other people.
Be Yourself: Don’t leave out the social element when you’re networking online. You’re a human being — let people know it. Funny slices from your life, insights about your hobbies or offbeat areas of interest can leaven the flow of work items. Don’t go overboard but don’t be a drone.
Count to 10: Don’t post anything you’re not comfortable having the whole world see — forever. Be especially careful when you think you’re sending a message to specific people on Twitter. You might think you’re sending a private direct message and find out later you didn’t.
Be Patient: Twitter skeptics and many beginners ask, “Where’s the beef?” My answer: “Give Twitter a little time and you’ll see.” The most important ingredient for Twitter success is following smart, interesting people. The right network can serve as your personal early warning system and support group all in one. I don’t think I saw the value of Twitter until I was following about 100 people and news feeds. Lately, I’m up to almost 300, which may be my limit. Picking folks is mostly trial and error. Find your friends on Twitter (there’s an e-mail tool to help), see who they follow, and branch out from there. Preview people’s updates before following them and don’t feel bad about dropping folks whose stuff doesn’t keep your attention. There are also some Twitter directories, such as We Follow, that some people find helpful.
For more, check out AHCJ’s handy primer on Twitter for health journalists. You can follow me @scotthensley and you can follow AHCJ @AHCJ_Pia.
(Twitter logo via Wikimedia Commons)
Reminder: Follow #ahcj09 on Twitter for updates
Many Health Journalism 2009 attendees are using Twitter to share what they learn as they learn it. If you’re on Twitter, follow the action using the hashtag #ahcj09 … for those of you not yet on Twitter, you can see what’s going on here.
-
Join us in Omaha to find untold rural health stories
New at HealthJournalism.org
- AHCJ offers financial data about nonprofit hospitals
- Diversity in aging: Putting gray in the rainbow
- Southeast journalists eligible for regional fellowship program
- AHCJ-NLM Health Journalism Fellowship offers hands-on medical research training
- AHCJ announces 2011 winners of top health journalism awards
