Last week Dr. Sanjay Gupta, one of the healthcare industry’s brightest media stars, took himself out of the running for the position of surgeon general within President Barack Obama’s administration.
Dr. Gupta is best-known as CNN’s chief medical correspondent, hosting the network’s weekend health program “House Call” with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and making frequent appearances on the network’s “American Morning,” “Larry King Live,” and “Anderson Cooper 360∞” programs. He also contributes to CBS News and writes a column for TIME. In addition, he practices neurosurgery at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital.
While Dr. Gupta’s decision may have been a surprise move for some, there’s no doubt that others are breathing a sigh of relief. As one of the most well-known medical correspondents in recent memory, Dr. Gupta has been an integral part of the changing media landscape around healthcare-related news.
A recent study by Pew Research Center’s Excellence for Journalism indicates health-related news coverage is in limbo as the media landscape continues to shift.
According to the report, “as consumers migrate from broadcast to cable, and from print to online; as newspapers cut pages, reporters and editors; as the amount of advertising on TV goes up and the news hole shrinks; as all of these shifts occur, it is likely that viewers will be exposed to less news coverage of health and health policy.”
What will this mean for those of us who look to the news for vital information about healthcare? Fortunately, Dr. Gupta has gone beyond simply reporting on the latest and greatest research studies to shed the media spotlight on some of the world’s most critical health issues including AIDS, mental health, vaccines, autism and gene therapy. These are all issues that will greatly impact our society in the near future and it’s critical that the media continue to incorporate ongoing healthcare perspectives from experts such as Dr. Gupta into their daily coverage agendas.
Health care is an important issue for many people and it should be a top priority for print and broadcast media as well as social media outlets such as blogs and micro-blogs. Dr. Gupta has certainly raised the bar when it comes to health-related news and we could use a few more like him educating people about the issues that will impact those most.
What do you think about the Pew Research Center study? Do you think a reduction in media coverage of health and health policy will be detrimental? We’d love to hear your thoughts.