We appreciate the ongoing dialogue surrounding the role of nurses in media and how healthcare organizations engage with media professionals and nursing. However, we must address some misinterpretations in the response to the article, Nurses’ Voices in Media: Strategies for Chief Nursing Officers. Our work with Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) is informed by the Woodhull study revisited and our experience as journalists. Journalists in the Woodhull study reported that healthcare organizations often do not provide nurses for interviews, even when requested. This is supported by our forty years of journalism experience and interactions with media colleagues. The program reported on in the study was one of many deliberate strategies we have undertaken to address what our research found.
It is not accurate to suggest that we advocate against nurses building their personal brands, exercising independent thought, or engaging in free speech. On the contrary, we strongly support nurses establishing themselves as authoritative voices in the media. However, we also recognize that working with healthcare organizations is not an inherent limitation but a strategic advantage. This should not be framed as an either-or decision.
The article Nurses in Media: Beyond Institutional Control and the CNO’s Directive suggests that nurses employed within a health system should not align with organizational media teams or that such collaboration inherently stifles independent thought. We question whether other readers took away this impression as well. While there is certainly a history of some institutions attempting to control narratives, we support the notion that healthcare organizations should actively encourage nurse participation in media and invest in media training to better prepare nurses for these opportunities.
It is also worth noting that when media professionals seek healthcare information, they often turn to the media/communication departments of healthcare systems/organizations for subject matter experts. Nurses who engage with their institution’s media strategies and communication departments can benefit from these opportunities while ensuring that accurate, evidence-based information reaches the public. The ability to shape messaging from within is a powerful tool that should not be dismissed.
Additionally, the notion that CNOs should not play a role in guiding nurses in media engagement oversimplifies the issue. Many CNOs have recognized the need to elevate nursing voices and have taken proactive steps to ensure their staff engages with media professionals. Our experience providing media training has shown that nurses may fear engaging with media due to inadequate preparation. Developing media competency within healthcare organizations and nursing schools is essential. After all, why should only a select few executives receive media training or engage with media professionals?
Rather than positioning healthcare organizational sources of media engagement as a barrier, we should focus on increasing opportunities to integrate media competencies into professional development pathways for nurses. The ability to handle interviews effectively, understand media best practices, and shape public narratives is crucial in today’s healthcare landscape. Nurses should not feel restricted from speaking out but also recognize the value of working with their respective organizations to maximize impact.
We encourage nurses to take full advantage of media opportunitiesboth independently and within their respective organizations. The goal should be to leverage every available avenue to amplify nursing voices, ensuring that nurses remain trusted experts in informing public discourse.
This article was co-authored by Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACN (Hon.), who is the Senior Policy Service Professor at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University School of Nursing. She also serves as the Programme Director for the International Council of Nurses Global Nursing Leadership Institute and is a Professor Emerita at Hunter College, City University of New York. Additionally, she is the Producer and Moderator of HealthCetera on WIOX Radio in the Catskills (wioxradio.org).
Barbara Glickstein, MPH, MS, RN, FAAN, is the Principal of Barbara Glickstein Strategies.
Richard Ricciardi, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, FRCSI, serves as the Associate Dean and the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University School of Nursing.
