Major Media Outlets Honored; ASHA Members Named 2015 Media Outreach Champions.
Rockville, MD - August 20, 2015 - In recognition of media coverage that helped promote public awareness and understanding of communication disorders and the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has named the following outlets the winners of its 2015 media awards:
- WDCA (MyNetworkTV) in Washington, DC
- KMEX (Univision affiliate) in Los Angeles
- WNCI-FM radio in Columbus
- KZSF-AM radio in San Jose
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Pediatric News
- Philly.com, Healthy Kids blog
- U.S. News & World Report
- USA Today
In addition, these ASHA members have been named Media Outreach Champions: Nancy Alarcon, MS, CCC-SLP; Lauren Barnett, MA, CCC-SLP; Joseph Donaher, PhD, CCC-SLP; and Rich Tyler, PhD, CCC-A.
The awards will be presented at the ASHA Annual Convention in Denver this November.
"We are very pleased to honor this year's winning media outlets, fully recognizing the important role the media plays as a mechanism for raising public awareness about communication disorders and the treatment options available through the work of our member audiologists and speech-language pathologists," said ASHA 2015 President Judith L. Page, PhD, CCC-SLP.
"We also salute our Media Outreach Champions, who have worked diligently with the media, offering their valuable time and expertise to educate the public and share insights about the nature, impact, and treatment of communication disorders."
WDCA and KMEX won for their leadership in broadcast coverage of the Identify the Signs campaign's public service announcements (PSAs) to both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences. WDCA aired the PSA 352 times, reaching an estimated 25 million viewers. KMEX shared the PSA 25 times, reaching 6 million.
WNCI-FM and KZSF-AM also won for their broadcast coverage of Identify the Signs PSAs to both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences. WNCI-FM aired the PSA 360 times, reaching more than 6 million listeners, and KZSF-AM aired the PSA 100 times, reaching nearly 6.5 million.
USA Today won for publishing an editorial by ASHA President Page that raised the issue of the potential impact of technology misuse on children's communication development. This piece garnered national coverage, was shared on Facebook more than 26,000 times, and became the most popular post in ASHA's social media history up to that point. In addition, USA Today was recognized for its feature story on the World Health Organization's Make Listening Safe campaign that seeks to educate the public on the dangers of unsafe listening habits. The article quoted Neil DiSarno, PhD, CCC-A, ASHA's chief staff officer for audiology, and promoted the Listen To Your Buds campaign.
Minneapolis Star Tribune was awarded for its coverage of the growing practice of and need for voice modification services for transgender individuals.
Pediatric News was awarded for its publication of two editorials by ASHA President Page discussing the issue of noise-induced hearing loss and the recent ASHA polling results released during Better Hearing & Speech Month that asked parents about their children's technology usage.
Philly.com's Healthy Kids blog won for serving as a forum for pieces on key communication health issues for children. In June, Healthy Kids featured the recent ASHA poll results and offered advice for managing tech time in favor of traditional communication from ASHA President Page. The blog also featured past stories on topics such as the importance of safe listening practices during the holiday season, when children often receive tech-related gifts.
U.S. News & World Report received its award for its high-quality coverage of multiple communication-related health issues, including dysphagia and hearing loss.
Nancy Alarcon is the director of the Speech & Hearing Clinic in Seattle and senior lecturer at the University of Washington. She was named a Media Outreach Champion for her contributions in raising public awareness in Seattle around the issue of excessive stadium noise. She was featured in NPR's national health blog Shots and has served as a media resource with local Seattle television and radio outlets.
Lauren Barnett is with Barnett Therapy Services in Orlando. She is being honored for serving as a local subject matter expert for ASHA's Identify the Signs campaign, raising awareness of the early warning signs of communication disorders. Her efforts included television interviews with WESH (NBC affiliate in Orlando) and WMEL-AM radio in Orlando. Lauren used her I Heart Speech blog to champion the Identify the Signs campaign.
Joseph Donaher is academic and research program director at the Center for Childhood Communication, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Joseph is being honored as a Media Outreach Champion for serving as a media resource for multiple stories about stuttering.
Rich Tyler is professor of otolaryngology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He is being honored for his recent editorial in the Des Moines Register that warned of the potential risks from misuse of personal audio devices. Rich has also served as a media resource on many different stories over the past year on tinnitus and other hearing issues.
About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 182,000 audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems, including swallowing disorders. www.asha.org/.
