Hollywood Meets the Press

PAGE 53 / OCTOBER 25, 2007 SCRIPTDOCTOR: MEDICINE IN THE MEDIA Hollywood Meets the Press By Andrew Holtz, MPH million to 25 million viewers. it was the first medium anything, Second, while journalists write sto- television or film, to show a hetero- Andrew Holtz, ll the players were there: actors, ries, entertainment show writers tell sexual couple dealing with AIDS.” MPH, is a writers, producers, a researcher stories. Indeed, many viewers of soaps McCullough’s character moved former CNN and many, many journalists. called the shows their “stories.” to Paris for several years. She Medical A The scene: a hotel ballroom in Viewers develop an emotional connec- returned all grown up, playing a Correspondent the Hollywood Hills. The title: “Holly- tion with the characters—and while we physician. Her character continues and the author wood & Health.” often get all wrapped up in the techno- to refer to aspects of life with HIV, of “The At the annual conference of the logical formats of printing, broadcast- including ongoing drug therapy and Medical Association of Health Care Journalists ing, Web pages, and podcasts, regard- careful adherence to safer sex rec- Science of earlier this year, we took a bit of time to less of the medium it is emotional com- ommendations. House, M.D.” peer over the fence at our colleagues on munication through storytelling that is Jason Thompson plays her cur- the entertainment side of the media, the most powerful form of human com- rent love interest. Send and the role they play in delivering munication. “When we first started getting questions to him about how the media health messages to the public. On the Third, the huge popularity of top involved in our relationship, I don’t treat medical topics or suggestions for podium were two actors who play doc- shows is evidence that the writers know how many times we had to men- future columns to [email protected] tors on TV, two real MDs who write for understand their viewers, and that’s tion spermicidal jelly, condoms—it was hit primetime shows, a scriptwriter also a skill every journalist needs. After mandatory as far as our dialogue, who majored in theater and now finds all, our reports can meet every standard which is part of the reason we’re here, difficult to do that in a film or a night- herself immersed in medical jargon, a of accuracy, balance and thoroughness, just educating people on the health time story because you just have one researcher who tries to both measure yet mean nothing if they aren’t read or risks, and obviously on HIV,” he said. show every week, which I think is why and influence health communication heard because they failed to engage A video clip showed the beginning soaps are so groundbreaking as far as via entertainment programming—and readers, viewers, or listeners. of the latest health storyline for his telling stories about cancer, because me. During my years in TV news I character. He was performing brain you can also see the entire process that surgery on a woman with late-stage that patient has to go through.” AIDS and a very high viral count. Several daytime dramas—soaps— During the procedure, something sud- make an effort to connect with experts “What’s unique about a soap opera is that we can denly goes wrong. to shape the course and check the facts Thompson as Dr. Patrick Drake: of their health and medical storylines. tell these [health] stories in real time. It’s difficult to “What the hell was that?!” But as I discussed in an earlier column do that in a film or a night-time story because you Technician: “Sorry, doctor. It was (3/10/07 issue), much of the research on mechanical. I have it under control.” the effects of entertainment TV has just have one show every week, which I think is why Cut to a close-up of McCullough as focused on primetime shows. Dr. Robin Scorpio, who was also in the Victoria Rideout, Director of the soaps are so groundbreaking as far as telling stories OR. Although she is masked and Program for the Study of Entertainment about cancer, because you can also see the entire gowned, her eyes show alarm. “Dr. Media and Health at the Kaiser Family Drake, you cut yourself.” Foundation, recapped some central process the patient has to go through.” Cue the dramatic music. Is Dr. findings. Drake also now infected with HIV? “First, entertainment is a really Viewers had to stay tuned to find powerful platform for well-crafted sto- out…and stay tuned…and stay ries about health information to reach As emcee and moderator, it was learned to open a story with my best tuned…as the questions lingered. people and make a real difference in my job to interrupt the lunch munching video. And so although every member Unlike a primetime show, where their lives. And secondly, repetition is of a few hundred journalists and other of the AHCJ panel brought expertise, almost all the loose ends are wrapped key,” she said. guests and explain why newshounds we began this session with the panelists up within the hour, soap opera story- “Fortunately, we have repeats.” chasing the health beat should care who, in addition to their professional lines go on and on. It was months Neal Baer, MD, writer and producer, about fictional health and medical plot skills, were no doubt the best-looking: a before viewers were told that Thomp- first at ER and now at Law & Order: twists. After all, reporters cover real pair of soap stars: Kimberly McCul- son’s character appears to have escaped SVU, jumped right in. Although prime- medicine and write about actual health lough and Jason Thompson, who por- infection. time shows usually collapse reality to facts, while entertainment shows just tray Dr. Robin Scorpio and Dr. Patrick “What’s unique about a soap opera fit into a single episode, successful make stuff up. Drake on General Hospital. is that we can tell these stories in real shows get more than one shot to reach So why should journalists pay time,” McCullough said. “We actually viewers. attention to entertainment shows with HIV took six months to find out. And it’s “You can watch those ER shows medical themes? still on TNT and you can watch SVU First, in the media world impact is McCullough first appeared on that every night, many times. But the nice measured by circulation and ratings. show as a young girl two decades ago. thing is that people do continue to see it On this score, entertainment shows As a teenager, her character made a “The research leaves no and new viewers see it,” Baer said, blow news out of the water. The New loud health statement. smiling as he referred to the ubiquity of York Times sells about a million copies a “In 1996, my character was 17 years doubt that these shows, Law & Order reruns. day. On most days, maybe a million old and had heterosexual relations with while intended as simple people see CNN’s top shows. Seven this boy named Stone, who happened New England Journal Article million to 10 million viewers watch the have been a street kid,” McCullough entertainment, actually that Criticized Portrayal of nightly broadcast TV newscasts. told the audience. “Anyway, the point CPR The ratings of the top news shows is he had AIDS and didn’t know it— do affect viewers’ would be considered merely mediocre and she got it. He died of AIDS. And Baer played a pivotal role in the evolu- for primetime shows. Shows like House the reason the story was kind of knowledge and beliefs.” tion of TV’s portrayal of health and and Grey’s Anatomy routinely pull in 15 groundbreaking back then was because (continued on page 54) PAGE 54 / OCTOBER 25, 2007 Genes May Predict Risk Level in Myeloma By Brande Victorian often it becomes drug resistant, making cells even in low-risk myeloma patients patients prone to relapse. and that current treatment kills off only esearchers have identified a “At diagnosis the patients will low-risk cells, leaving behind cells that subset of genes that could pre- have a low-risk score, and then when create a high-risk genetic profile. dict high-risk cases of multiple they relapse that score increases to high Dr. Shaughnessy elaborated, not- R myeloma and potentially lead risk—that implies that some evolution ing that you can have a cancer cell with to more individualized treatment in the occurred during the disease,” Dr. a genetic defect, but as that cell divides future. Shaughnessy said. “We want to find and continues to divide it will incur A team led by John Shaughnessy, out if patients with a low-risk score can another mutation. That cell is now dif- Jr. PhD, Director of the Lambert Lab- be treated less intensively than we nor- ferent from the previous one and the oratory of Myeloma Genetics at the mally treat patients, but patients with a drug can kill only the cell with the ini- University of Arkansas for Medical high risk will need to be treated more tial defect, not the new mutation. Sciences’ Myeloma Institute for Research intensely and within a specific time Dr. Shaughnessy said the hope is to and Therapy, tracked 532 multiple frame for it to work.” take this risk score and the diagnostic myeloma patients for seven years after With that goal in mind, researchers model, which has already been validat- blood stem cell transplants to create a categorized gene-expression patterns to ed, and apply it universally to patients genetic profile to chart the severity of determine which genes are active and in various treatment centers.

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