Pros and Cons of Media Participation for Multiple Birth Families

Benefits

  • Positive media coverage can help build support for families of multiples and the programs that serve them, such as the delivery hospital, NICU facility, multiple birth parent support group, nurses and doctors, Early Intervention programs, etc.
  • Participating in media projects can be fun and a great opportunity to thank the friends, family members, health care team and other supportive individuals who have helped!
  • A successful interview can celebrate the family’s triumphs and show how even families of multiples can thrive despite the added demands of having many children the same age.
  • Media productions can become cherished keepsakes and preserve precious memories.
  • The family’s story can inspire other families of multiples who may need help or want to network with other families.
  • Media stories can bring important multiple birth advocacy issues to the attention of policymakers, professionals, and the public.
  • As a result of the public exposure, a family in need may be able to get help from their community or the public at-large.

Risks

  • Media exposure means a parent’s employers, potential employers, co-workers, friends, extended family members, the children’s teachers, and others may find out about any problems the family has or services they receive.
  • Information may not be presented as expected, and families may or may not have a chance to review the final version in advance.
  • Not all families have the happy healthy outcome they were hoping for and may not want the added pressure of media exposure during this difficult time.
  • Allowing infants to be photographed or video-taped while in the NICU can be disruptive to tiny babies as well as other families who are facing their own heartbreaking journey of having a baby in the NICU.
  • Multiples may be glamorized or stigmatized in media stories. As a result, the family may receive negative comments or, in extreme cases, threats.
  • Stories may contain errors or be misleading, creating more stress on the family.
  • The family may be strongly criticized if a story contains a request for help.
  • The media may uncover and report embarrassing or damaging private details about the family’s life.
  • Older children may be teased by classmates at school or by friends who hear about the interview.
  • Participants may be asked to comment on other high-profile stories about multiples leading to more negative exposure than parents may have anticipated.
  • The ease with which today’s media can be archived, searched, and reused means that stories could resurface at any time in the future leading to inconvenient or even problematic consequences. This may be true especially for pre-teen and teen multiples whose lives and personal challenges were closely documented by the media as young children.
  • The children may be physically or emotionally harmed by unstable fans, threats from the public, or safety issues that result from being followed by paparazzi.