Last week Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, ScM published an interview with Gary Schwitzer on KevinMD.com which I found had crucial points in connection with content in the era of social media. When there are new devices, platforms surfacing one after the other it is important to remember that the content published is still the key element. At the end of the day the format can’t take over, content is still king.
Gary Schwitzer’s argument on this matter was right on target:
Content is still king. Substance over flash. Steak over sizzle. There is a tremendous responsibility to get things right on these vital health and health care topics. Increasingly, I see the value and importance of being correct – perhaps at the expense of not being first.
And there’s another point that needs to be emphasized: it is tempting to be the first to publish an interesting health news piece, but accurate information is always more desirable than quick information. You may not cause damage writing gossip articles without a stable proof. While the moral there is still questionable, no one went on a dangerous treatment because a false report about two celebrities dating. But the responsibility is a lot bigger, the stakes are a lot higher when reporting about health related topics.
Gary Schwitzer created something with his website, HealthNewsReview that was long overdue in the era of social media and online health: guidelines for publishing health content. Following this set of rules should be an universal practice for writers and publishers.
(Source: KevinMD.com)
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