How Truth Informs Fiction: Telling Stories to the Storyteller for Public Health Impact

Background: Over thousands of years, people have used storytelling to convey critical information to others. Today, scriptwriters of TV, film and new media are some of the master storytellers of our time. Research shows that six out of ten primetime viewers learn something new about a disease or how to prevent it from a TV show, and almost one-third of viewers take action on what they learn (Porter Novelli, 2005).  

Program background: Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, has established a model for providing Hollywood writers with access to accurate health information for their scripts. The crux of the model is the connecting of writers with experts who share “real stories of real people.”

Evaluation Methods and Results: This presentation will show how leading experts share compelling case studies with TV writers and producers during panel discussions held at the Writers Guild of America West. Scenes from award-winning TV episodes on those topics will also be shown. The presentation will include video clips of the “Global Health in Lights” panel discussion on Capitol Hill featuring Mariska Hargitay, who stars on Law & Order: SVU and Dr. Neal Baer, Executive Producer of Law & Order: SVU.      

Conclusions: HH&S will share the results of impact evaluations on viewers’ knowledge, attitudes and behavior.

Implications for research and/or practice: This presentation will discuss the unique challenges and successes faced in partnering with Hollywood to increase the accuracy of health information in TV, film and new media, and the significant impact of TV health storylines on viewers.