1. Media Advocacy Interactive Module
Target Length: 30 minutes
Participants: Psychiatry Residents and Fellows
Facilitators: Media Relations staff, attendings
Scenario:
You are a psychiatrist in a rural area. Within the last 3-4 days, a terrible tragedy has
occurred – a young person was observed to have shot and killed 10 others. At this
point in time, his potential motives are unclear, although it appears that he has been
disorganized and paranoid in his thoughts and behaviors for the last several years.
There is widespread suspicion that he has underlying mental health issues. As you
prepare to start your busy clinic day, you receive a call by a journalist for the local
paper, asking for a comment on the tragedy.
Questions to consider:
What type of story will this be? (News, feature, editorial column)
Will I be quoted? Is this on/off record (assume on the record if not explicitly stated
otherwise)
What is your deadline?
I have some clinical responsibilities at this time. Could I call you back later in the day
to discuss this?
What do you want to do now?
Familiarize yourself with the topic/situation in question?
Contact colleagues?
Locate some relevant statistics?
Assess what kind of “angle” the journalist/newspaper/media organization may be
taking on the story and compare with your experience/advocacy stance?
Remember to:
Develop 1-2 key themes/thoughts that you want to convey. State these clearly
multiple times throughout the interview.
Cite evidence, if you have any.
Give appropriate caveats.
Look for advocacy angles.
Directions:
Have audience split up into groups of 2-3 members. The groups will be given 5-10
minutes to practice their interview.
Each group will then present to a facilitator. Facilitator should play the role of a
journalist. Assume the journalist is coming from an “angle” that the person in
question should have been evaluated earlier and somehow “slipped through the
cracks.” Questions can and should be asked, but not in an antagonistic way.
Facilitators should assess for key components listed above, as well as body

2. language, presentation style. They should then give brief feedback after the
presentation.
The last ~5 minutes at the end of the session should be used to solicit residents’
experience, evaluate challenges and/or surprises.