Covering Medical News for Television

And so it goes. On any given day in our news room, health and medical stories are near the top of the editorial agenda. Perhaps it is the increase in information available to the public. Or it may be the fact that no single subject binds the public together more intimately. A breakthrough . . . a new treatment . . . a new study . . . the touching story of one giving life to another. It makes for compelling and interesting television.

In survey after survey of viewers in Boston, medical news ranks near the top in interest. It's easy to pick the news wires each day and report on the latest trend or medical miracle. But that's not what quality health and medical reporting is about and not what the viewers want. Investigations and in-depth coverage of medical issues are what really attract attention.

For example, last year News Center 5 reviewed managed care and how it affects the lives of patients, doctors, and other health care providers. We surveyed patients and doctors separately and with their illustrative human stories we were able to provide an informed report on the massive changes in the way many receive health care. The report was both a journalistic and ratings success. Viewers watched because it was a subject that affected their lives -- the basic element that ties all medical reporting together.

But there are some inherent dangers in medical reporting. We must make sure that in our effort to simplify a complex medical report, we do not oversimplify and indirectly mislead. To do so we must have the personnel to analyze the massive amount of material generated each day. At WCVB, medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson, reporter Heather Kahn, and producer Rhonda Mann keep us ahead of the curve. We are blessed in Boston to also have a wealth of medical facilities, physicians, and health care workers to help us better explain medical news to our viewers.

The public's desire for more medical news and information will only grow as we head toward the next millennium. As journalists, our job will continue to center on synthesizing the vast quantity of information out there to offer perspective as best we can, so your patients can make informed choices about their own personal health care.

- Candy Altman
News Director, WCVB-TV Boston