speak out

Acquire the skills you need to get your success story in the media and you could be talking to thousands - even millions - of future patients, writes Mark Brealey

Which of these stories would you read first: 'Doctor saves life' or 'Doctor kills patient'? That is the problem facing not just the NHS, but the police, local government - and in fact the whole of the public sector.

Bad news sells papers. But so does good news - it is just that it needs to be genuinely exciting or unusual. As a journalist for more than 10 years I lost count of the number of press releases heralding a new initiative as 'pioneering' or 'unique'. They were almost always anything but.

We have to accept that when things go wrong, they will always make the headlines because such stories spark outrage, fear and blame. But, importantly, we must take time to look at the countless success stories going on in the NHS every day, pinpoint the angles that make them special, and then give those stories to journalists in the hope they will print or broadcast them.

Success will not happen overnight and is never guaranteed.

Journalists will still choose to focus on the bad stories more than the good, but we can and must improve the media's coverage of the health service - not just because it deserves a pat on the back, but because the media is a quick and cheap way of informing communities.

I spend most of my time training people, usually NHS staff, to handle journalists, and in some of these people the look of fear is palpable. Many are enthusiastic but some, clearly, have turned up only because their secretaries failed to find them a good excuse not to. However, by the end of the training almost all agree the media has a valid role and is an important tool for us to reach patients. They also feel better equipped to talk to journalists, and this really is key to get their message across.

You do not get on a bus without knowing where it is going, so why start a media interview without knowing where you want to go, what you want to say, and what you might be asked?

Preparation is vital. Spin is not. This does not mean NHS staff should be passive and reactive in media interviews, merrily taking whichever deviation from the main issue the reporter wishes to pursue. And spokespeople should remember to place news - good and bad - in context.

One important mistake people often make is failing to talk about benefits, and instead focusing on process. I am not remotely interested in the electronics which run the anti-lock braking system in my car - but I am excited by the fact these brakes occasionally stop me from smashing into the car in front. Similarly, I do not care about the workings of the multi-disciplinary partnership behind the new medical centre at the end of my road. But I do care that I might be able to get an appointment with a physio more quickly (if I do end up hitting that car in front).

The media is under no obligation to do the health service favours, but often you can put across a fuller, fairer picture of events with the skills and the confidence to do so. When we talk to journalists we are essentially talking to thousands, or possibly millions, of current or future patients. Do you really want to pass up that chance?

Mark Brealey is head of media training for the Atlas Media Group www. atlasmediagroup. co. uk