4032.0: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - 9:05 AM

Abstract #12360

Nutrition and food safety in the news: Understanding the landscape

Robert Earl, MPH, RD, International Food Information Council, 1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 430, Washington, DC 20036, 202-296-6540, earl@ific.health.org

Hardly a day goes by without another piece of food or nutrition news being reported, but what does it all add up to? This session provides a fascinating insight into food and nutrition news by drawing from 42 television, newspapers, magazines, and now online media covered in a 3-month period, to identify and analyze which topics and professional experts made the news frequently. It also illustrates how some key information, issues and food- and nutrition-related professionals are conspicuously missing from news accounts. The importance of context in scientific reporting and in client and public communications by public health professionals is still needed. This session highlights the new findings of the third Food For Thought research study (May-July 1999) and compares the results with previous studies (1995, 1997 and 1999). Food For Thought media analyses were commissioned by the International Food Information Council and conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, both located in Washington, D.C.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, the participant will be able to: 1. Identify which nutrition and food topics are likely to be of most interest to different media. 2. Recognize the opportunities for public health professionals to be quotable expert sources. 3. Understand how some information may need to be emphasized in order to help media and audiences comprehend the significance of certain details in scientific studies

Keywords: Nutrition, Food Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA