WMC Events

Woodhull Study Revisited: ​ Nurses' Representation in Health News Media

EVENT:

Researchers will present findings from new research on the representation of nurses in the media, replicating the 21-year-old Woodhull Study on Nurses and the Media, at a press conference at the National Press Club. The original Woodhull Study found nurses were represented as sources in less than 4 percent of health news stories in leading print newspapers, newsweeklies and health care trade publications of the day. 

The Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at the George Washington University School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Berkeley Media Studies Group, replicated the original 1997 study to determine if any progress has been made. Researchers also interviewed journalists about their experiences using nurses as sources, and conducted an analysis of the use of Twitter by the top 50 schools of nursing in the country.

WHO:
The research team is comprised of:

  • Diana J. Mason, principal investigator and senior policy service professor, Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, GW School of Nursing
  • Barbara Glickstein, director of communications and media projects for the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, GW School of Nursing
  • Kimberly D. Acquaviva, professor of nursing, GW School of Nursing
  • Kristi Westphaln, senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, GW School of Nursing
  • Laura Nixon, senior media researcher, Berkeley Media Studies Group

Following the presentation of high-level findings, a reaction panel will include:

  • Ivan Oransky, president, Association of Health Care Journalists
  • Cristal Williams Chancellor, director of communications, Women’s Media Center
  • Yanick Rice Lamb, associate professor and chair of the Department of Media, Journalism and Film, Howard University

WHEN: 
Tuesday, May 8, 2018; 9-10 a.m.

WHERE: 
The National Press Club
529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor
Washington, D.C.
Metro Center Metro (Blue, Orange, Silver and Red lines)

RSVP: 
Media interested in attending must contact Timothy Pierce at tpie@gwu.edu or 202-994-5647. Media also can request a research brief under embargo. The embargo will lift on May 8, 2018, at 9 a.m. EDT.

WEBCAST:
If you are unable to attend, the event will be broadcast live at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/219/25375.

BACKGROUND:
The Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at the GW School of Nursing advances policy and the health of the public through education, research, media and public forums. For more information, go to https://nursing.gwu.edu/health-policy-media-engagement.