Editor's Corner

September/October 2008

Have you ever had the experience of your patients asking you what the American Academy of Pediatrics really does? Have you ever wanted to do more in the media but haven’t been sure where to begin? Or, have you needed to talk to a group of parents in your community but didn’t know how other pediatricians have approached that same speaking engagement themselves? Those are all roles that the Council on Communications and Media can fulfill for you.

Our Web site and blog reflect what we do: tackle communications and media issues pediatricians need to work in the media world and the practice of pediatrics. Both technological spaces work in concert to provide you with the most up to date information about the media and media issues. The COCM website is really your media library while the COCM blog is more your op-ed space.

To help you understand media issues in as many ways as possible, this month we are launching two new sections on the COCM Web site:

1. Media Grand Rounds
2. Our Work In Action

With the help of our new COCM nine-member Editorial Advisory Group, we have created some interesting and thought provoking articles on the latest media studies and current events to keep you informed and up to date. Media Grand Rounds is very similar to AAP Grand Rounds with the same format, except exclusively on media issues.

Our Work In Action is a series of articles that answers the simple question “Where is the AAP’s media work in our communities?” There are many examples of this played out every day and we’re gong to find those examples for you so you can use them in your practices as teachable moments as well as examples of the AAP’s work. One of the biggest examples occurred last year when Disney announced they were going stop showing actors of any age smoking in movies. Online, any time blogs and news venues take the bull by the horns on supporting less TV time for kids, that is a direct result of the AAP’s media work on the need for kids to watch less TV.

These sections are very much in their infancy and haven’t even begun to take their first steps. We encourage you to help us make that happen with your feedback, ideas and suggestions for content.

My virtual door is always open for your comments and ideas. We’ve covered a great deal of uncharted online land already with our website and blog and I look forward to seeing where our journey in online medical media journalism takes us next.

Cheers!
Dr. Gwenn
COCM Web site and Blog Editor In Chief