Transcript A New Directive, a New Opportunity: How a New Policy Expands Communication at the National Center for Health Statistics Presented by Megan Cox Public Affairs.

A New Directive, a New Opportunity:
How a New Policy
Expands Communication at the
National Center for Health Statistics
Presented by Megan Cox
Public Affairs Specialist
National Center for Health Statistics
First, who is NCHS?

The National Center for Health Statistics…
– A federal statistical agency

Part of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)…

Part of the Department of Health and
Human Services.
What exactly do we do?

Example:
What is OMB Statistical Policy
Directive Number 4?

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget
(OMB).

What do they do?

What responsibilities does OMB have regarding
federal statistical agencies?
– Ensures “the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity
of information, including statistical information,
provided to the public.”
Background

The key to maintaining the credibility of
federal statistics is to ensure that the
timing, dissemination, and quality control
is the responsibility solely of the federal
statistical agency releasing the data.
Background

The Public Affairs Forum for Federal
Statistics
– Formed in late 1990s “to help public affairs
specialists in the national statistical offices
deal with common problems, learn from each
other, advance the field, and contribute to
better policies and practices in dissemination
of statistics”—Sandra Smith, National Center
for Health Statistics.
Addressing Issues

Forum wanted to ensure that press
releases and other statistical products
were not delayed or altered for nonstatistical reasons.
A work in progress…
Small working group received a positive
response from OMB.
 The group conferred with senior staff at
federal statistical agencies.
 Group relied on the National Research
Council’s 2005 Principles and Practices for

a Federal Statistical Agency.
Success!

In August 2007, the OMB published a
draft of the directive in the Federal
Register.
– Sought comments from the public.
– All the respondents encouraged OMB to issue
the directive, (several had suggestions to
bolster various provisions of the directive).

Adopted March 7, 2008.
What this means…

OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 4
mandates that the dissemination of
federal statistical information be
characterized by integrity, reliability,
objectivity, and accessibility—this is the
way to maintain credibility.
Scope

The directive clarifies that it applies to all
statistical products disseminated by
federal statistical agencies.

The directive emphasizes that federal
statistical agencies are directly responsible
for the content they release.
Highlights

What is a statistical press release?
– A “statistical press release” is an
announcement to the media of the release of
a statistical product from a statistical
agency—it is produced by the statistical
agency.
– It includes the name of the agency, key
findings, a summary of the information, and
where the information can be accessed.
Highlights

At NCHS, we
– Coordinate with parent agencies by sending
press releases to them prior to release.
– Share information with our parent agencies so
that they will be aware of the information to
be released and be able to prepare a separate
statement commenting on the data.
Highlights

Who determines the timing of a release?
– The directive gives federal statistical agencies
responsibility for the timing of the release of
statistical products.
– Per the directive, data should be released by
federal statistical agencies as soon as they are
ready.
Highlights

NCHS…
– Works closely to coordinate releases with CDC
but releases data when they are ready.
Highlights

What is the benefit of pre-release
(embargo)?
– Expansion of media outreach by federal
statistical agencies through early release.
 More time to prepare increases the likelihood of
more accurate coverage
 More interviews
 Wider dissemination
Highlights

NCHS…
– Uses the embargo process for its most
newsworthy reports.
– Results have been extensive coverage and
increased interviews with statisticians.
Highlights

Who’s responsible for notification of
releases?
– The statistical agency is responsible for
providing the public with a schedule of release
for regular or recurring statistical products
(reports and public-use files).
Highlights

NCHS…
– Collects a list of upcoming data releases from
each of its programs and assembles a
schedule that is posted on the Web.
Highlights

Forums and strategies for information
release
– Conferences, exhibits, presentations,
workshops, electronic distribution lists, and
other media outreach such as news
conferences and media briefings are
encouraged.
Highlights

NCHS…
– Uses the Internet extensively for dissemination—most
searches for our information start there.
– The NCHS Office of Public Affairs attends conferences
to further promote our products and our services to
the target audience—media professionals and other
statistical communicators that may utilize our data.
Summary - A Policy for Credibility

The OMB directive instructs federal
statistical agencies to reach out to the
public in a timely, equitable, and
responsible manner, ultimately enhancing
our reputation as a source of credible
data.
Challenges

The challenge of the directive is in the
implementation; NCHS is still in the
process of coordinating the details with
CDC in some instances because the
directive represents a departure from
previous practices.
Useful Applications?

U.S. federal statistical agencies are
diversified—we are not one unified agency
but many agencies separated by the
subject matter we cover. Yet, we have
uniformity under this policy.

What does this mean outside the U.S.? It
varies from country to country.