Media perspectives: Ed Silverman
Paul Tunnah interviews Ed Silverman
Pharmalot
There’s never a dull moment in pharma, with every day bringing new breaking stories covering everything from updates on development and marketed drugs, right through to the more personal stories about the companies and their employees. In fact, there’s so much going on that it’s almost impossible to keep up with it all, but arguably those reporting on the industry have the best vantage point of all – those expert reporters and journalists watching everything unfold.
So we thought it might be interesting to get to know some of these folks a bit better and hear their view of pharma, based on years of covering the sector. To kick things off, we couldn’t think of anyone better than Ed Silverman, Editor of the popular news site Pharmalot, not to mention also being Editor-at-large for Med Ad News and R&,D Directions. Since founding Pharmalot almost five years ago its growth has been phenomenal, with those interested in pharma latching onto Ed’s succinct and unique style for bringing the top stories to life.
You name it in pharma and Ed’s seen it and reported on it, so check out what he had to say about our industry and how he’s been so successful with Pharmalot. If you don’t want to watch the whole video (which is well worth it), check out the quick time links below to skip to the juicy bits!
Click on the play button below to watch the video.
Quicklinks
0:10 – Ed’s background and how Pharmalot started
2:15 – About the Pharmalot audience and the site’s popularity
4:46 – How Ed picks his stories
7:50 – Balancing journalistic opinion with fair balance
12:24 – Pushback on stories and requests to take down
15:21 – Ed’s view on how well pharma manages its PR
20:55 – Changing focus over the years, what’s hot and what’s not
24:08 – The craziest story ever covered
27:22 – The future for Pharmalot
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About the interviewee:
Ed Silverman is a prize-winning journalist who has covered the pharmaceutical industry for the past 16 years. In addition to editing Pharmalot, he is currently an editor-at-large for Med Ad News and R&,D Directions.
Previously, he was a bureau chief for The Pink Sheet, the venerable industry newsletter, and a contributor to its sister publication, In Vivo magazine. Before that, Silverman worked as a business writer for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey, one of the nation’s largest daily newspapers, where he conceived and launched Pharmalot. During his 13-year tenure, he closely followed a variety of topics of concern to those who work for, and with, drug makers - drug development, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory oversight, safety and pricing controversies, and marketing issues.
Prior to joining The Star-Ledger, Silverman spent six years at New York Newsday and previously worked at Investor’s Business Daily, among other newspapers. He has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Binghamton University. Tethered to his laptop and Blackberry, Silverman lives in suburban New Jersey with his wife, three children, a sizeable labrador retriever and a sneaky beagle.
What’s been your favourite story on Pharmalot?
