Lathrop to oversee public databases in Dallas
AHCJ member Daniel Lathrop, who has been the chief digital strategist for InvestigateWest since its July 2009 launch, will be joining the Dallas Morning News on March 22 as its first news applications editor.
Lathrop will help the paper identify and obtain databases of public information. He also will be responsible for producing the interfaces through which readers can use those databases.
Lathrop is co-editor of the just-released book “Open Government: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation in Practice,” published by O’Reilly media.
Welcome to the latest journalists to join AHCJ
AHCJ welcomes these new members:
- Alsy Acevedo, reporter, El Sentinel-Orlando Sentinel Communications; Orlando, Fla.
- Robin Adams, senior reporter, The Ledger; Lakeland, Fla.
- Ada Alvarez, independent journalist; North Miami, Fla.
- Antigone Barton, independent journalist; Lantana, Fla.
- Manu Bhandari, student, University of Missouri; Columbia, Mo.
- David Boddiger, independent journalist; Chicago
- Suzanne Bohan, science reporter, Contra Costa Times/Bay Area News Group; Richmond, Calif.
- April Choi, student, University of Missouri; Columbia, Mo.
- Megan Clancy, staff writer, California State University, Long Beach; Dana Point, Calif.
- Sonya Collins, student, University of Georgia, Grady College of Journalism; Athens, Ga.
- Claudia Collucci, student, University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Monya De, student, University of California, Los Angeles; Santa Monica, Calif.
- Hannah Douglas, student, Truman State University; Springfield, Ill.
- Carrie Feibel, health/science reporter, KUHF Houston Public Radio News; Houston
- Antonio Flores-Lobos, editor, Las Noticias; Kingston, N.Y.
- Sylvia Forbes, independent journalist; Fayette, Mo.
- Kathleen Frey, student, University of Georgia; Athens, Ga.
- Denise Fulton, executive editor, IMNG/Elsevier; Kensington, Md.
- Landon Hall, health reporter, The Orange County Register; Santa Ana, Calif.
- Charles Hallman, reporter, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder; Minneapolis, Minn.
- Smith W. Hartley, editor-in-chief, Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge; Baton Rouge, La.
- James Hataway, student, University of Georgia; Athens, Ga.
- Markian Hawryluk, reporter, Bend Bulletin; Bend, Ore.
- Duke Helfand, editor/staff writer, Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles
- Jessica Hook, student, University of Oregon; Eugene, Ore.
- Devin Katayama, student, Columbia College-Chicago; Chicago
- Toni Lapp, founder/editor, Spectrumconnection.net; Kansas City, Mo.
- Noam Levey, Washington health policy reporter, Los Angeles Times/Tribune Washington Bureau; Washington, D.C.
- Russell Luce, student, Truman State University; Kirksville, Mo.
- Jessica Machetta, broadcast journalist, Learfield Communications, Inc.; Jefferson City, Mo.
- Chasity Mayes, student, Missouri State University; Springfield, Mo.
- Mason McCoy, student, Truman State University; Kirksville, Mo.
- Sarah Moore, student, Truman State University; Fenton, Mo.
- Adi Narayan, independent journalist; Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Victor Perez, director, Radio Kuva Inc.; Gainesville, Fla.
- Ernesto Portillo Jr., editor, La Estrella de Tucson; Tucson, Ariz.
- Belinda Puetz, editor-in-chief, Journal for Nurses in Staff Development; Cantonment, Fla.
- Dave Raiford, asst. managing editor, HealthLeaders-Interstudy; Nashville, Tenn.
- Farida Romero, associate producer/reporter, Radio Bilingue; Berkeley, Calif.
- Ryan Sabalow, health reporter, Redding Record Searchlight; Redding, Calif.
- Sananda Sahoo, student, University of Missouri; Washington, D.C.
- Stephanie Schupska, graduate student, University of Georgia; Athens, Ga.
- Gale Scott, independent journalist; Cranbury, N.J.
- Julie Sneider, independent journalist; Waukesha, Wis.
- Jean Virgile Tasse Themes, graduate student, Columbia University-Chicago; Chicago
- Conjivaram Vidya Shankar, independent journalist; Chennai, India
- Kelly Von Lunen, editor/health reporter, VFW Magazine; Kansas City, Mo.
- Stacy Weiner, health writer, Dell Perot; Fairfax, Va.
- Daniel Weintraub, editor, HealthyCal.org; Sacramento, Calif.
- Linda Wilson, independent journalist; McHenry, Ill.
- Fernaudo Zapari, editor, El Mexicano Newspaper; Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Erica Zucco, student, University of Missouri; Columbia, Mo.
If you haven’t joined yet, see what member benefits you’re missing out on: Access to more than 50 journals and databases, tip sheets and articles from your colleagues on how they’ve reported stories, conferences, workshops, online training, reporting guides and more. Join AHCJ today to get a wealth of support and tools to help you.
Schwitzer resigns to focus on site, blog, training
Gary Schwitzer, publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, announced that he has resigned from his position as an associate professor in the University of Minnesota’ School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
He announced the resignation on Twitter and through a video on Facebook, in which he explains that he made the move so he could devote his time to HealthNewsReview.org, his blog and “other writing and professional workshops.”
Keeping up with AHCJ members
The latest compilation of news about AHCJ members is now available. Be sure to see who changed jobs, won awards, received fellowships, published books and more.
Are you an AHCJ member with news you’d like to share? Send it to christy@healthjournalism.org.
See previous posts about about AHCJ members.
Newspaper, news service team up for medical news
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today, a medical news service for doctors, will collaborate to produce articles on medical news, according to a report from EditorAndPublisher.com.
The report says AHCJ member John Fauber, a health and science reporter for the Journal Sentinel, will lead the partnership. “Journal Sentinel Editor Marty Kaiser said giving Fauber the resources of two news organizations will benefit readers.”
E&P says the first story is scheduled to appear in March and will be released simultaneously by MedPage Today and the Journal Sentinel.
Schwitzer’s HealthNewsReview blog wins award
MedGadget, the “Internet journal of emerging medical technologies,” announced that AHCJ member Gary Schwitzer’s HealthNewsReview blog, won Best Medical Weblog of 2009.
From the announcement:
The winner of the Best Medical Weblog of 2009 is Gary Schwitzer’s HealthNewsReview Blog. Gary used to be a professional health reporter. He is now a professor of journalism at University of Minnesota, focusing on medical reporting. Gary has become renowned for his critique of media’s coverage of health care topics. And that’s what his blog is mostly about: checking and correcting the weak, erroneous, and misleading reporting of medical science and industry on TV and in newspapers.
Other blogs recognized focus on narrative, clinical cases, health policy and ethics, medical technology and patient experience.
The awards are sponsored by Epocrates, a maker of medical software for personal digital assistants and smart phones.
Member news: New book; new Web site
“Open Government: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation in Practice,” a new book published by O’Reilly media, was edited by AHCJ member Daniel Lathrop and Laurel Ruma. Lathrop is chief digital strategist for InvestigateWest.
Journalist Daniel Weintraub has launched HealthyCal.org, a nonprofit Web site focused on news about the health of Californians and their communities. The site is initially funded by the California Endowment and is staffed by contributing journalists and community members. Weintraub previously was a columnist and blogger at the Sacramento Bee.
Welcome to the newest members of AHCJ
AHCJ welcomes these new members:
- Wilson Lowrey, associate professor, University of Alabama; Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- Marilyn Nelson, independent journalist; Flagstaff, Ariz.
- Andrew Kimball, independent journalist; San Rafael, Calif.
- Shari Roan, staff writer, Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles
- Angilee Shah, independent journalist; Walnut, Calif.; @angshah
- Lee Bowman, correspondent, Scripps Howard News Service; Washington, D.C.
- Charlotte Schubert, senior editor and Washington correspondent, Nature Medicine; Washington, D.C.; @schubertcm
- Caroline Stetler, post graduate fellow, Investigative Reporting Workshop; Washington, D.C.; @carolinestetler
- Ada Alvarez, independent journalist; North Miami, Fla.
- Kris Hundley, staff writer, St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.
- Christine Sexton, independent journalist; Tallahassee, Fla.
- Angie Best-Boss, independent journalist; New Palestine, Ind.
- Rachel Gotbaum, independent journalist; Jamaica Plain, Mass.
- Ted Agres, independent journalist; Laurel, Md.
- Cynthia Saver, independent journalist; Columbia, Md.
- Julie Andrews, health research editor, Bottom Line Health; New York
- Katherine Harmon, reporter, Scientific American; Brooklyn, N.Y.; @katherineharmon
- Deborah Wuest, independent journalist; Ithaca, N.Y.
- Lisa Benton, student, Ohio Center for Broadcasting; Columbus, Ohio
- Theresa Brown, independent journalist; Pittsburgh
- Ellen Meyer, managing editor, Skin & Aging; Chester Springs, Pa.
- Lorry Schoenly, independent journalist; Fairless Hills, Pa.; @lorryschoenly
- Kate Johnson, independent journalist; Montreal; @kjohnsonmed
- Anne Halloran, independent journalist; Seattle
- Shamane Mills, senior broadcast specialist, Wisconsin Public Radio; Madison, Wis.
If you haven’t joined yet, see what member benefits you’re missing out on: Access to more than 50 journals and databases, tip sheets and articles from your colleagues on how they’ve reported stories, conferences, workshops, online training, reporting guides and more. Join AHCJ today to get a wealth of support and tools to help you.
Academics: Media added to reform confusion
Filed under: Health care reform, Health data, Hot Health Headline, Member news
Health News Florida’s Carol Gentry talked to journalism professors at three major Florida universities about the effect of media coverage on public perception of health care reform. The trio suggested that the media muddied the issue by focusing coverage on the political horse-race aspects while neglecting to invest the time necessary to fully explain the proposed legislation’s finer details.
In a column for AHCJ, Trudy Lieberman, the organization’s immediate past president has discussed some of the same shortcomings of health reform coverage. The academics say this is nothing new – many of the same issues surfaced during Clinton’s health reform push in the early ’90s, but say today’s fragmented media environment and 24-hour news cycle have certainly exacerbated matters.
[Kim Walsh-Childers, University of Florida journalism professor] said many Americans get their information from talk radio or blogs, “which are far less likely to provide balanced, complete information than are traditional news outlets, especially newspapers.”
“Even those who read newspapers may be getting far more information about the political strategies (of) the various stakeholders … than they are about what those proposals actually would mean for the average family,” Walsh-Childers continued.
Walsh-Childers praised NPR and The New York Times for their more thoughtful reform coverage, and said layoffs of experienced health reporters had likely weakened coverage at many outlets.
Gentry also cited surveys conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation which found that peoples’ opinions of reform changed when they were better informed of the bills’ actual components.
Surveyors found that while a majority said they were opposed to the legislation, support grew markedly when survey participants found out the major parts of the plan.
Three-fourths became more favorable when they heard about tax credits for small businesses and two-thirds liked what they heard about health exchanges, constraints on health insurers and plugging the Medicare prescription-drug “doughnut hole.”
Related
More columns by Lieberman about coverage of health reform:
- Putting a human face on McCain, Obama health plans
- Look for opportunities to localize the debate on national health reform
- If candidates won’t focus on aging issues, journalists better
- Candidates’ health reform language needs closer scrutiny, definition
- Journalists must do better to inform, educate public
Welcome to AHCJ’s newest members
AHCJ welcomes these new members:
- Deborah Brauser, independent journalist, Clermont, Fla.; @DeborahBrauser
- Shirley Brott, writer, Neonatal Network, Flower Mound, Texas
- Margaret Downing, editor, Houston Press, Houston, Texas
- Debra Dreger, independent journalist, Brandamore, Pa.
- Kristina Fiore, staff writer, MedPage Today, Elmwood Park, N.J.; @kristinampt
- Sara Gambrill, senior editor, CenterWatch, Boston, Mass.
- Beth Howard, independent journalist, Charlotte, N.C.
- David Jackson, reporter, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
- Amy Jeter, staff writer, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.
- Jonathan LaPook, medical correspondent, CBS News, New York, N.Y.; @DrLaPook
- Fran Lowry, independent journalist, Palm City, Fla.
- Jennifer Palter, editor-in-chief, Lupus Now, Washington, D.C.
- Ron Shinkman, editor, Payers & Providers, Burbank, Calif.
- Rebecca Voelker, associate managing editor, JAMA Medical News, Chicago, Ill.
- Vanessa Wells, editor, Beson4 Media, Jacksonville, Fla.
If you haven’t joined yet, see what member benefits you’re missing out on: Access to more than 50 journals and databases, tip sheets and articles from your colleagues on how they’ve reported stories, conferences, workshops, online training, reporting guides and more. Join AHCJ today to get a wealth of support and tools to help you.
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Health Journalism 2010, AHCJ's annual conference, features a world-class program with story ideas, sources, stronger reporting skills, chances to meet newsmakers and network with other journalists.
- Health and education: Covering these intersecting beats
- Reporting on the business of health care
- Health reporting resources for journalists on state and local government beats
- Shortened Lives: How location, lifestyle affect health
- Covering a complex story for the long haul
- Aging in the 21st Century: Presentations and tip sheets
- AHCJ calls for better information from Joint Commission Web site
