INDIANAPOLIS—The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) today announced its support for the Woodhull Study Revisited: Nurses’ Representation in Health News Media. Results of the revised study will be presented at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., 8 May 2018.

The George Washington University School of Nursing Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement worked with the Berkeley Media Studies Group to replicate the original study. The research team will present high-level findings from the “Nurses and the Media: A Qualitative Study of Journalists’ Use of Nurses as Sources in Health News Stories,” at the 8 May press conference.

This three-phase study sought to provide the following:

• A replication of the original Woodhull Study Publication that examined journalists’ use of nurses as sources in leading print media of the day;
• A qualitative study of journalists’ experiences using nurses as sources in health news stories; and
• An analysis of the tweets from the top 50 schools of nursing.

Sigma published the original 1998 Woodhull Study, which was done to raise awareness of the voices and perspectives of nurse professionals in the media. A complete version of the original study is available on the Sigma Repository. Sigma also contributed funding support to the revised Woodhull Study being released 8 May.

“The original Woodhull Study was a groundbreaking in its reach and impact,” said Sigma President Beth Baldwin Tigges, PhD, RN, PNP, BC. “I look forward to reviewing the results of the revised study about how nurses contribute to thought leadership in journalism and social media.”

Watch a livestream of the 8 May Woodhull Study press conference.