Promoting Sociology to the Media

by Sujata Sinha, ASA Public Information Office

It is an exciting time for the ASA and its Media Relations Program. In the last six months, we have introduced several innovative ideas, including “branding” the discipline of sociology, and are continuing to think “outside the box” in order to bring ASA into a new era of communication.

The ASA Public Information Office (PIO) has implemented ground-breaking initiatives unique to social science communication. As Media Relations Officer, I have taken a proactive and aggressive approach to promote ASA journals and research. Our efforts have generated media coverage for the American Sociological Review, Contexts, and the Journal of Health and Social Behavior in local, national, and international news outlets, including Reuters, Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, Times of London, CNN, Al Jazeera International, and ABC News.

Current Initiatives

In addition, we are now planning for news events by staying on top of media daybooks and government policies relevant to sociology, such as the Department of Defense “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy (see “Sociologists Brief Senate Audience on Social-Cultural Factors Affecting Military Recruitment and Retention”). One of our top priorities is to monitor constantly the news in order to promote our experts as soon as news breaks. This method has proven to be particularly successful during the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech University. Our media advisory promoting member expertise in the area of school violence ensured that the sociological perspective was communicated effectively during and after the shocking events of that day. Subsequently, ASA members were interviewed by major news organizations such as CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, Inside Edition, CBS’s Early Show, ABC’s Nightline, Good Morning America, and on Al Jazeera International. Our members also wrote opinion pieces for the Baltimore Sun and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Public Information Office has also partnered with the Health and Behavior News Service, a health news wire service supported by the Center for the Advancement of Health, in order to enhance publicity for the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. This partnership has generated coverage from many news outlets, including Reuters Health, Forbes, MSNBC, Washington Post, and many more.

As part of an innovative approach to branding sociology and raising awareness of the discipline nationally, we will be working with a video news release service to broadcast our research to more than 200 local television stations across the United States, including several Spanish-language stations. The project, called Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS), operated by the American Institute of Physics, will give ASA the unique advantage of being the only social science affiliate working with them.

Annual Meeting Outreach Efforts

The Annual Meeting is fast approaching, and ASA’s PIO is planning to pull out all the stops. Keynote Speaker, former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, will meet with journalists. In addition to such media availabilities, we plan on promoting the Annual Meeting research and presenters full force.

On a personal note, my position here has been a rewarding and challenging experience for me. It is always a gratifying feeling to come into a newly created role and see it morph into a successful program. I look forward to the coming year and hope we continue our successes in promoting ASA and the membership. Be assured, members will be hearing more from the ASA Media Relations and seeing more of its successes. Always feel free to contact me at the ASA Executive Office at ssinha@asanet.org.