Media

Top Ten Tips for Reporting on Donation & Transplantation

1. In language, tone and images used, be mindful and respectful. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics calls on reporters to “Do No Harm” by treating all story subjects as human beings deserving of respect and compassion. In accordance with this principle, we recommend against using imagery of operating rooms and surgical procedures as well as words like “cadaver” and phrases such as “pull the plug.”
2. Don’t use the stigmatizing or offensive words “harvest” or “harvesting;” instead, use “recover” or “organ recovery.”
3. Refrain from using “life-support” in a story about donation. Because organ donation only occurs after all lifesaving efforts have been exhausted, the correct term is “ventilated support.”
4. Organ donation is a rare and generous event. When a story on organ donation or transplant does not include a call to action to register as a donor or a mention of the donor’s generous gift, the public is left with an overly simplistic understanding of organ donation and transplantation.
5. Always conclude a donation/transplantation related story with an opportunity for viewers, listeners and readers to register as an organ donor: “Register your decision to be an organ, eye and tissue donor at RegisterMe.org or check the box on your next trip to the DMV.” Custom registration links can also be created for a story, station, newspaper, et al.
6. Transplants don’t happen without the generosity of a donor and/or a donor family who made the choice to give the gift of life. When reporting a story focused on an organ recipient, please take the opportunity to honor the gift given: “This story is possible because of the generosity of an organ [cornea or tissue] donor.”
7. Recognize the media’s role as the most visible source of organ donation information in the country and the responsibility that comes with your role. Actively share the hopeful message that organ donation saves lives and refrain from perpetuating myths that would keep people from registering as organ donors.
8. Rely only on donation and transplant professionals to provide technical details about donation and transplantation. Donation and transplantation can be overwhelming for a family and the process of organ recovery and allocation is complex. Very often, during these highly traumatic times, patients and loved ones – some facing the possibility of an unfathomable tragedy – may need time to fully comprehend an intricate and complicated diagnosis.
9. HIPAA laws require hospitals, recovery organizations, Legacy of Hope, and its partners to obtain written permission before releasing any information to the media. Although we welcome stories that highlight donation’s truest heroes, donors and their families, please understand that we have a duty to transplant recipients and donor families, who may find media attention intrusive and compounding their grief. Also, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) recommends that journalists ask themselves, “Does the public have a justifiable need to know or is this matter just one where some want to know?” as they balance this public need to know with an individual’s right to HIPAA privacy.
10. Stories with sensationalized or inaccurate information are damaging to the public trust, to those awaiting transplantation, and to the honor of donors and donor families who have given the gift of life. If ever in doubt, please contact media@DonateLife.net for more information or to talk to an expert.

Data Sources: OPTN data as of Jan. 10, 2022; 2020 Annual Data Report. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients; 2021 Eye Banking Statistical Report.