Working with the Media: How to Make Your Messages on Tuberculosis Count

"With the media's scope and influence, we can reach people who need treatment, educate the public to this health risk in their midst, increase awareness of TB among health workers, encourage politicians to put TB higher on their political agenda, and donors to provide the money to help us achieve our goals."

The aim of this handbook is to bridge between the gap between the science community and public on TB issues. It provides national tuberculosis (TB) programmes and partners globally with tools and the confidence to help spread messages about TB prevention, symptoms, and treatment based on science. People are encouraged to act on them by cultivating relationships with the public through media. The Stop TB Partnership hopes that this resource will help personnel feel more comfortable, better equipped, and keen to reach out to the media with key messages about the need to address TB.

The handbook covers the planning and execution of media outreach from thinking about goals to attracting media attention. Tips and suggestions for developing key messages, handling interviews, writing news releases, and calling journalists are also included. For example: "Make sure your news story does not backfire on you. Shocking news may scare people away and may further stigmatize TB. Instead, consider focusing on something positive, such as portraying a picture of an XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant TB) patient before and after successful treatment. Such real-life examples have greater impact on the general public."

Case studies are included in the resource to illustrate strategies. For example, one text box points to the launch of an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) control. The 4 partners had a list of useful and relevant technical documents for journalists, including a feasibility field study carried out in South Africa, WHO policy statement, expert group report, information document on strengthening of laboratory services in Lesotho, and a 4-page background information document on the initiative itself. "This was a very clear news message - it needed no interpretation of data or trend analysis. All partners had a clear contribution to make, reflecting their expertise and role."