Live at ViVE: Finding Accurate Health News Amid Media Misinformation

In traditional journalism, reporters work to present information in an unbiased way.

And if you ask Sony Salzman, it’s not difficult to maintain those same standards in creating content for social media.

What is difficult is competing with a hyperbolic, fearmongering post designed to go viral. So, how do we know who to trust when it comes to health and medical news? Whose responsibility is it to vet the information we’re consuming?

On this episode of The Beat, Sony joins hosts Dr. Jessica Shepherd and Dr. Gautam Gulati to discuss the rapidly evolving media landscape, an environment that is increasingly riddled with misinformation. Sony walks us through the complex process of producing health news, explaining ABC’s principle of reporting information without bias and her approach to stories based on preprints.

Listen in for insight on distilling complex health information in a way people can understand and learn how to discern well-balanced medical news from one-sided content designed for virality.

About Sony Salzman:

Sony is an Emmy award-winning journalist covering science and medicine and coordinating producer of ABC’s Medical Unit, where she directs health, science and medical coverage across ABCs platforms. Sony supports broadcast streaming and digital content at Good Morning America, GMA3, World News Tonight, Nightline, ABC news.com and ABC News Live.

Things You'll Learn:

• What encompasses the medical and health beat for a reporter
• Sony’s role as Coordinating Producer at the ABC News’ Medical Unit
• The infinitely complex process of producing health news
• ABC’s principle of reporting information without bias and why it’s crucial
• Maintaining the same standards of accuracy on social media 
• Narrative techniques for drawing people into stories that aren’t inherently interesting
• How health reporting has changed since the pandemic
• Sony’s approach to reporting on a study published as a preprint
• Why it’s the network’s responsibility to vet the health information it reports
• Distilling complex health information in a way people can understand
• What AI can and cannot do when it comes to health reporting
• Losing the public’s trust in an industry where perfection is the standard
• The process of correcting information when a reporter makes a mistake
• Sony’s challenge to listeners to subscribe to their local paper

Resources:

• Connect with Sony Salzman
• Sony at ABC News