A5 - Harnessing Your Expertise: AATOD Media Training with Reporting on Addiction

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Johnson A-B, Level 1

CE: 1.5

Primary Presenter(s)

Jonathan J. Stoltman, PhD (he/him/his)

Co-Director; Director
Reporting on Addiction; Opioid Policy Institute
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Co-Presenter(s)

Ashton Marra, MS

Co-founder
Reporting on Addiction
Morgantown, West Virginia

Handouts
Mishka Terplan, MD

Medical Director/Senior Research Scientist
Friends Research Institute
Baltimore, Maryland

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, participants will:

Upon completion, participants will be able to describe how modern The Media produces content and shortcomings with this environment when it comes to reporting on addiction.
Upon completion, participants will be able to conduct professional interviews and be empowered to work with their local, regional, and national publications.
Upon completion, participants will be able to demonstrate their subject matter expertise during media interviews.

Presentation Summary: Mainstream media perpetuates many problematic narratives about drug use and addiction that increase stigma, discrimination, and bad policy. One way to address these shortcomings is to increase the coverage of evidence-based approaches to addiction treatment and recovery. To do this, we need bridges between subject matter experts and the media. However, many experts are not trained to interact with journalists in today’s media environment. Thus, this workshop is designed to offer customized training to support interactions between AATOD attendees and the media. Topics covered include preparing for interviews and how to pitch ideas/op-eds to the media.