The power of stories: listen carefully

I am a librarian by training. That means I read and digest information for a living, all the while making sure I know the authority of my sources. Most of what I ingest is the printed word, but increasingly there’s video. Thanks to internet stations for news and radio (and bandwidth here in Yonkers) I usually multi-task to radio and video broadcasts.

The Associated Press reports that I am not alone. If you are tracking the debate over health care reform you are likely to encounter video as "... thousands of people [are] now telling their stories on videos, ads and Web sites on both sides of the health care debate." Our own Cover America Tour added dozens of compelling videos to this mix as we strove to put faces to the challenges in our health care system.

Video is a powerful medium through which to share individual stories and experiences. Telling stories is powerful; it personalizes and taps into our ability to empathize with the plight of another. But remember to consider the authority of your source. In a recent presentation by Professor Gary Schwitzer, publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, I got the reminder that "the plural of anecdote is not data." The individuals that share these experiences are speaking for themselves. The organizations that collect and promote them often have a point-of-view. As a consumer of information, you have to determine which way the preponderance of experience, if not evidence, points.

—Elena Falcone, Consumer Reports Information Analyst

Watch Tony's story (above) and take a look at more videos from our Cover America Tour.

Comments

[eric]

And you've hit on the main problem in our society today. Almost no data comes from an unbiased source. And the ones that get the most media attention CERTAINLY come from a specific slant that many times does not have facts to back them up.