Abstract
On December 18, 2008, a New York Times story ran under the headline, “In an Extensive and Intricate Operation, a Face Is Remade.” These stories – and hundreds of others like them – shared a common theme: they were overwhelmingly positive and they focused on the 22-h procedure, not the still-anonymous patient.
These stories did not happen by luck or by accident. They grew out of a long-term strategy within Cleveland Clinic’s Corporate Communication’s department to position Dr. Siemionow as a trusted go-to source on the topic of face transplants – no matter where in the world they may occur.
Public and media relations had a crucial role in how information was presented and released to the media. While the physicians are the unquestioned experts in the clinical aspects of facial transplantation, members of the public and media relations team are the experts in understanding how the media work and what it takes for the hospital to earn the most positive news coverage possible.
The following chapter examines the Cleveland Clinic’s experience with public relation and media relations.
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Sheil, E.M., Kiska, A., Wheeler, T. (2011). Media-Related Aspects From a Public Relations Perspective. In: Siemionow, M. (eds) The Know-How of Face Transplantation. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-253-7_30
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