Rockville, Md — The blog EverydayHealth.com, The Los Angeles Times, Real Simple magazine, Spanish language television network Univision, and Wall Street Journal Radio, are the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 2011 media award recipients. In addition, the first ever ASHA Media Outreach Champion Award has been given to Vivian Sisskin, CCC-SLP, and Janice Trent, AuD, CCC-A.

"Media awards are given to those media outlets that featured consumer interest stories in the field of communication disorders," ASHA President Paul R. Rao, CCC-SLP, said in the press statement. "The winners did a great job by bringing the important work done by our members to the forefront. We’re also very excited to recognize outstanding engagement by two of our members via our new Media Outreach Champion Award. Congratulations to one and all."

EverydayHealth.com won for its March 15, 2011, blog post "How Exercise Can Help Your Ears," about a possible link between exercise and healthy hearing.

The Los Angeles Times won for its November 29, 2010, article "Sometimes Words Fail," one of the first that was inspired by the movie, The King’s Speech. The article highlighted the important role speech-language pathologists play in helping people who stutter.

Real Simple magazine won for its September 2010 full-page feature "How Can I Tell If I’m Playing My MP3 Player Too Loudly?" which highlighted safe listening practices.

The Spanish-language television network, Univision, won for its February 2011 interview of an ASHA member speaking about communication development in young children, during its morning show ¡Despierta América!

The Wall Street Journal Radio Network won for its March 2011 interview with ASHA President Paul Rao about the need for better health care coverage of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation services.

The first ASHA Media Outreach Champion Award has been given to Vivian Sisskin, CCC-SLP, and Janice Trent, AuD, CCC-A, for their individual efforts to educate media outlets about hearing loss and speech and language related health issues.

Sisskin is an instructor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland. In the wake of the release of the movie, The King’s Speech, a number of national and local media outlets. including NBC Nightly News and WTTG Fox 5. interviewed her about stuttering and the impact that the movie has had on how people who stutter are portrayed in the media.

Trent has practiced audiology in clinical settings for more than 20 years. Currently in private practice in Bowie, Md, Trent has served as a noise-induced hearing loss expert to various broadcast and print media.

All of the winners will receive their awards at ASHA’s 2011 Annual Convention in San Diego in November.

SOURCE: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association