Reporting on Health

Their So-Called Journalism, or What I Saw at the Women's Mags

hillaryr — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:10:53 +0000

How good health and science journalism gets mangled by women's magazines: an explanation by a freelance journalist who's been there.

Devil in the Medicine Cabinet: Some Solutions for Ending the Prescription Drug Epidemic

carolsmith — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:42:06 +0000

There is still much work to be done before we in Washington state can remove ourselves from the list of worst states for prescription drug deaths.

Can Communities Make Restaurants Healthier? Ideas for Your Reporting

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:53:32 +0000

Should communities push local restaurants toward offering healthier foods? A new report offers some resources and ideas for your reporting.

Physician Founds Think Tank to Innovate Healthcare for Poor

sunita37 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:21:23 +0000

Physician Rishi Manchanda’s epiphany – to develop a new think tank aimed at improving health care for the poor - came last summer as he was treating a patient complaining of severe headaches.

A Public Death: Digital Records Could Combat Identity Theft

William Heisel — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Identity theft fighters want faster ways to see whether a person is stealing someone else’s persona. Could digital death certificates — searchable by the public and by journalists — be of help?

Susan Handel: Komen VP Resigns in Wake of Planned Parenthood Controversy

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:02:08 +0000

The Planned Parenthood controversy claims a Komen exec, "junk" mini-med health insurance plans and a birth control vending machine, plus more from our Daily Briefing.

Not a walk in the park

vickyhallett — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

When 24-year-old Victoria Church moved back to D.C. after spending 10 months in China teaching English, she realized something was missing. How important is outdoor exercise equipment in helping people keep fit?

Lap-Band Maker Allergan Dumps Dubious Doctors From Its Website

William Heisel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

It would be interesting to see exactly what evidence finally tipped the scales at Allergan. Why did the Lap-Band maker finally stop selling its product to doctors participating in the aggressively marketed 800-GET-THIN weight loss surgery campaign?

Backstage

Marga Parés — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:08:34 +0000

Over a year ago, based on the history of Puerto Rico's Health Reform that started on 1993, many people started to wander if the enrollees of this system were healthier or sicker than years ago, when they had no medical coverage. To find out, a keypoint was to measure if they were getting the medical preventive services they needed to, for example, have an earlier diagnosis and a better treatment for the medical conditions they may develop.

That was what my National Health Journalism Fellowship was about and what I intended to find out.

Serie Especial: Mi Salud (Special Series: Mi Salud)

Marga Parés — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:51:07 +0000

Patients and providers of Mi Salud talk about the lack of preventive services.

Serie Especial: Mi Salud (Special Series: Mi Salud)

Marga Parés — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:47:11 +0000

Aseguradas de Mi Salud llegan tarde al cuidado prenatal. Enrollees of Puerto Rico's Health Reform get late prenatal care.

Serie Especial: Mi Salud (Special Series: Mi Salud)

Marga Parés — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:41:00 +0000

Package of investigative stories of Mi Salud, Puerto Rico's Health Reform.

Serie Especial: Mi Salud (Special Series: Mi Salud)

Marga Parés — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:31:05 +0000

Package of investigative stories about Mi Salud to find out if the enrollees are receiving preventive medicine services.

EPA's Jared Blumenfeld visits Central Valley

Dano — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:43:34 +0000

EPA's Jared Blumenfeld brings a little hope and money to San Joaquin Valley.

Pink Guns and Planned Parenthood: Susan G. Komen Foundation's Worst Week Ever?

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:26:11 +0000

Komen Foundation's bad PR week, raw milk sickens 35, and a surprising health effect of digging in the sand on the beach, plus more from our Daily Briefing.

Slap: Patient Punished For Rate-Your-Doctor Posts

William Heisel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Online review sites should not be a forum for falsehoods, but defamation suits against patients who post legitimate critiques of medical services are a threat to free speech and a threat to safe medicine. Here's a case in point.

Health Media Jobs and Opportunities

knatividad — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:41:17 +0000

There's still time to apply for the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism; send your applications in by today. Also, check out the latest job openings for editors and writers for various publications and medical organizations.

Go Red For Women: Heart Disease Stories that Go Beyond the Red Dress

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:56:40 +0000

Go beyond event listings and corporate tie-ins to do substantial reporting on women's heart health this month. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Covering Grady Hospital

PhilipG — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:04:49 +0000

It's a thankless task, running a public hospital. Squeezed by patients, governments, and community leaders, a public hospital can't - in the public's eye - seem to do anything right. Closing a clinic, laying off staff, increasing co-payments saves money, but at what human cost? For Grady Hospital, their public image reached crisis level when it decided to close its outpatient dialysis clinic, putting two dozen patients - mostly undocumented residents - out on the street with nowhere to get their life saving treatment.

Health Reform Story Ideas for 2012

Michelle Levander — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:23:13 +0000

Reporters have an unprecedented opportunity this year to chronicle a historic battle in the unfolding story of federal health reform. Yet getting the story right will depend on mastering the details.

Toxic Sugar: Should Sugar Be Regulated Like Cigarettes Or Alcohol?

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:24:28 +0000

Public health researchers take aim at sugar, Elizabeth Banks makes a heart attack movie, new advances in treating prostate cancer and more from our Daily Briefing.

Q&A with California Medical Board PIO Dan Wood: Citizens Have a Right to Know What Government Is Doing

William Heisel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Dan Wood, the new PIO at California's Medical Board, isn't fazed by reporters' questions. After all, he used to ask the same ones.

Connecting with Those Who Care to Report on Violence

canavan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I couldn’t help thinking about the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon as I reported my series on children and violence in Wilmington, Delaware.

Breast Cancer Backstory: Komen's Decison to Cut Planned Parenthood Funding

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:02:47 +0000

Why did the nation's leading breast cancer charity cut off funding to Planned Parenthood? We examine the backstory.

Brazilian Blowout: California Fines Company $600,000 for Toxic Hair Straightening Treatment

Barbara Feder Ostrov — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:36:02 +0000

Toxic hair straightening, a new drug for cystic fibrosis, a religious battle over birth control and more from our Daily Briefing.