By engaging with the media, science and health professionals help the public make informed decisions. This engagement also helps scientists, clinicians and nurses keep perspective of the significance and relevance of their work to society, and it can be an opportunity to raise the profile of their work and institution.

Importantly, expert input helps improve the quality of science and health reporting. Insights from our Media Ambassadors are invaluable to:

• provide context and background
• highlight limitations or inconsistencies
• explain real world implications

When media enquiries are not addressed by those who have the relevant expertise, there is a risk that the message will be misconstrued, becoming detrimental to public health and to society. This can trigger mistrust towards science and medicine.

Remember: There are plenty of people far less qualified than you who will be willing to speak to the media if you choose not to!

The majority of news stories come from publishers, institutions or learned societies who send press releases often highlighting newsworthy research or practice published in journals, or presented at events. Some examples of what journalists find newsworthy are:

• new research about common medical conditions that could eventually lead to better diagnosis or treatments
• research into health implications of everyday foods, products or lifestyle choices
• findings that challenge the status quo, that may be controversial
• research with an economic or political relevance to society

Once the journalists have chosen a story to cover, they may get in touch with press offices at organisations such as at the Society for Endocrinology to discuss their story and be put in touch with a relevant scientist, clinician or nurse.

Expert input is crucial in media reporting - it helps journalists and writers shape stories, get the facts right and sometimes even assess whether stories are worth pursuing at all. At the Society, this input is provided by our Media Ambassadors, members who work alongside the press office to provide accurate and responsible media reporting of endocrinology-related topics.

Provide written comments on specific endocrinology-related research. Sometimes a journalists will ask to have a short phone conversation if they have specific questions.

For example…

• Channa Jayasena and the Society were mentioned in the BBC, after talking to a journalist about a story on mimicking the menstrual cycle in a dish 

2. Research for feature articles in print, TV or radio

Requests for advice or participation for a live or pre-recorded broadcast interview or show. 

For example…

• Maralyn Druce participated in a BBC Business Daily radio show about oxytocin 

We will:

• help you refine your key messages,
• conduct mock interviews
• advise on what kind of language to use when providing written comments

We aim to contact our ambassadors only with those enquiries that fall into their field of expertise.

We will not:

• share any contact details with journalists unless you specifically agree that you are able to comment
• send more than one email with the same enquiry – if you don’t get back to us before the specified deadline, we will assume you are unavailable

Here are some examples of Society media ambassadors' contributions to science reporting:

• Annice Mukherjee appeared on BBC breakfast and BBC radio, as well as being quoted on BBC news on how commercial menopause tests are a waste of time and money
• Channa Jayasena was quoted in the Daily Mail about the dangers of women getting HRT from abroad, in response to shortages
• Channa Jayasena was quoted by Reuters cautioning on the interpretation of a study on a diabetes drug causing birth defects in the children of male patients
• Gareth Nye was quoted in the Guardian, advising on association versus causation around reporting on a study suggesting that environmental pollution is affecting population sex ratio
• Stephen Franks provided background and advice for an Insider article on weight loss and PCOS