Meeting the challenges of reporting on public health in the new media landscape

Specialist health journalists play an important role in public health by critically appraising and reporting on new health information, yet this role is under threat from commercial pressures on media organisations. Journalists filling the gap created by the loss of specialist health journalists may lack the skills, knowledge and time to maintain quality in health reporting. In parallel, social media has become an important conduit for health information, increasing the diversity of sources available to the public. Individuals may lack the tools to evaluate quality and integrity in the large and increasing volumes of information. Here we examine these challenges in the new media landscape with a review of purposively selected literature on quality in health reporting and health information online, and the impacts on public health seen in the decisions made by individuals through to policy makers. We identify innovations that could provide practical ways for journalists to maintain integrity and quality in health reporting. We also examine the perspectives of other stakeholders, recommending that researchers and health experts improve collaboration with journalists, as well as becoming active participants in information dissemination and public discussions around health. We identify new policies through which governments can support public interest journalism, and discuss innovations to help individuals become more critical consumers of health information in the media.