Media Pitch
Assignment
Develop a brief pitch to the media on a newsworthy topic of your choice that demonstrates newsworthiness and considers key audiences impacted by the topic.
Your pitch should be specific to a media outlet, and to a specific person within that media outlet.
Develop an infographic that you could share with the media along with your pitch.
The following items were created as part of the requirements for a writing assignment and not meant to be published nor to represent the organization(s) listed herein.
Did you know an integrated COVID-19 digital verification app does not exist?
Subject: Did you know an integrated COVID-19 digital verification app does not exist?
To: Marissa Fernadez (Axios, Health Care Reporter)
Email: marisa.fernandez@axios.com
Dear Marissa,
I was looking for some information about COVID-19 web apps and came across your recent articles on the topic. You have also identified the absence of clear technological solutions for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccines. The new IBM Digital Health Pass would be of interest to the Axios readers because it addresses the current technology gap by combining a digital passport with wearable tech.
Did you know 52% of people manage health-care information from their mobile devices? Still, there is no single app that integrates our health data. IBM's Digital Health Pass connects digital devices by leveraging blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing technologies to integrate public-health data.
Several U.S. technology companies have published COVID-19 datasets but, there is no standardization of this data between providers. A recent study published in Nature Medicine calls for a "systems-level approach for the vision of the ideal fit-for-purpose digital public-health system that links symptom-tracking apps, rapid testing and case isolation, contact tracing and monitoring of aggregated population-mobility levels, access to care and long-term follow-up and monitoring, with public communication" (Budd et al., 2020).
IBM Watson Health is working with federal, state, and local governments to 1) establish digital health records, 2) link contract tracing data, 3) speed vaccine deployment, and 4) provide digital verification. We have established strategic partnerships with Salesforce.com to connect employee health data to the organization. Our collaboration with large drug store chains will provide 1) notification of vaccine availability, 2) integrate existing health app data, and 3) mobile digital verification required for travel.
Eric Piscini, Vice President of Blockchain at IBM Watson Health, will be available for interviews on February 10, 2021, to speak to you. Please consider scheduling an interview and live demonstration of our tools.
I have created an infographic detailing some of the IBM Digital Health Pass's key features I thought you might find useful.
Enclosed is the following information:
Product Fact Sheet: https://www.ibm.com/products/digital-health-pass
Please let me know if you'd be interested in speaking with Eric, and I'll be happy to make the arrangements.
Thank you,
Tara Camacho-Lopez
PR & Communications, IBM Watson Health
Phone: (555) 555-5555, sample@ibm.com
IBM Watson Infographic
The infographic above provides data to support the need for a reliable, data-driven, flexible, and agile web application that integrates a person’s health care information into one central location accessible through a mobile device or wearable.
References
Budd, J., Miller, B.S., Manning, E.M. et al. Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19. Nat Med 26, 1183–1192 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-1011-4.
IBM Watson Health launches blockchain-based Digital Health Pass—Health IT News. (2020, October 12). OLTNEWS. https://oltnews.com/ibm-watson-health-launches-blockchain-based-digital-health-pass-health-it-news.
IBM Watson Health | AI Healthcare Solutions. (2021, February 5). IBM Watson Health. https://www.ibm.com/watson-health.
Singer, N. (2020, December 13). Vaccinated? Show Us Your App. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/13/technology/coronavirus-vaccine-apps.html.
Wilson, K., Atkinson, K. M., & Westeinde, J. (2015). Apps for immunization: Leveraging mobile devices to place the individual at the center of care. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 11(10), 2395–2399. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2015.1057362.