Study notes lack of specialized training Health journalists could better inform the public if they realized how illiterate most Americans are when it comes to understanding medical concepts and issues, concludes a new study by two University of Missouri researchers. The journalism researchers conducted a national survey of 396 print journalists – in partnership with AHCJ – and found that most health journalists have not had specialized training in health reporting and face challenges in communicating medical science developments. Assistant Professors Amanda Hinnant and Maria Len-Ríos completed 35 in-depth interviews to gather insight into the role of journalists in reducing the negative effects of limited health literacy. |  Speakers are confirming every day
so check the schedule often!
Come get the tools to better investigate, understand and relate the health of your city. Sessions will explore the impact of violence on neighborhood health, how the built environment affects public health, trends in urban aging, the real story on emergency rooms, gauging the financial health of city hospitals and more.
Highlights:
• Keynote speaker: Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez will talk about his relationship with a mentally ill street musician that led to a series of columns; a book, "The Soloist;" and a movie to be released in November.
• Field trip to elementary and high school health clinics in the Bronx. Limited seating - advance sign up required.
• Computer-assisted reporting basics: Investigating health data using spreadsheets. Limited seating - advance sign up required.
Register today! | | More training is as close as your keyboard!
AHCJ just launched an interactive e-class as the online companion to the book “Covering Health in a Multicultural Society: A Resource Guide for Journalists.” The book is available to all members and can be downloaded as a PDF from the AHCJ Web site. The e-class, free and available only to AHCJ members, adds resources beyond the book.  Enroll in the class, and you can take part in discussion forums and take short quizzes to test your knowledge. Complete the e-class, and you can download or print a certificate of completion. The course is a resource for understanding the increasing diversity of the audiences AHCJ members serve. To enroll, send an e-mail to multicultural@healthjournalism.org.While you’re waiting for official enrollment, you can get a pass as a guest. Not a member? Join AHCJ and then sign up for the e-class!
| Health Journalism 2009, the annual conference of AHCJ, has been set for next spring in Seattle. The conference will be April 16-19 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle. The terrific downtown location promises quick access to all the Emerald City has to offer. A committee of Northwest journalists and AHCJ board and staff are interested in member ideas for the conference. Submit a session idea and learn about the conference hotel. | |  A new series of health-related webcasts for journalists debuted with a spotlight on the growing problem of the underinsured – those who have insurance but are still at risk for substantial out-of-pocket expenses. "Talking Health" was presented by AHCJ, The Commonwealth Fund and the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. The program features panelists who are experts on insurance as well as two journalists who offer suggestions and ideas for reporters based on the information discussed by the panelists. If you missed the live webcast, an archived version is available.
| | The health care vocabulary of the presidential campaign includes terms such as "socialized medicine," "universal," "comprehensive," "guaranteed," "mandate," "coverage," "care" and "choice." AHCJ President Trudy Lieberman calls on journalists to pin down the candidates and explain what the words mean before we let them get away with a smorgasbord of empty terms. |  Sessions focused on what reporters should know about rural populations, diabetes in susceptible communities, how Medicare plans affect rural health, resources for visualizing rural health, addressing health workforce hurdles, services for an aging population, immigration's challenge to rural health, oral and visual health in rural America, mental health and substance abuse, and a bonus hands-on training session in computer-assisted reporting. Many of the speakers' presentations and tip sheets, as well as audio of two panels, are posted online.
| Health Journalism 2008  • Conference highlights, tip sheets and webcasts
• Nearly 600 attendees gathered for conference • Conference home page Many thanks to all of our conference speakers and participants for making this such a great conference! Conference highlights included a newsmaker briefing with actor Dennis Quaid about the medical error that threatened the lives of his twins, a roundtable with several of AHCJ's founding members, a newsmaker briefing with HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt about new hospital quality data, and the keynote speech from Elizabeth Edwards, in which she was quite candid in her critique of John McCain's health care plan. | |
Hot Health Headlines
Palin supported changes
in health care in Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, took a number of steps in her state to change the delivery of health care, including establishment of a council to advise her and the introduction of the Alaska Health Care Transparency Act. Read more ...
Biden supports expanding availability of health insurance
Sen. Joe Biden, now chosen as Barack Obama's running mate, outlined a health care plan as a a presidential candidate. He said he wanted to roll back tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for health care, expand SCHIP, allow the uninsured to pay on a sliding scale to get a plan similar to the one federal employees get and small businesses would share costs with the government. Read more ...
|
Online training: Earn a certificate through new AHCJ e-class
Submit panel, speaker ideas for Health Journalism 2009
