Members earn Annenberg grants/fellowships
The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism announced the winners of its Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism grants and National Health Journalism Fellowships this week, and multiple AHCJ members earned honors in each category. The program seeks to fund explanatory and investigative reporting in underserved communities. The winning members are listed below; see the Annenberg site for a full list. All descriptions are taken directly from the press release.
2010 HUNT GRANT RECIPIENTS
Christina Hernandez, a freelance writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, will receive a $5,000 grant to examine a troubled health care system in a New Jersey city and local attempts to find solutions.
Emily Ramshaw, an assistant managing editor and investigative reporter at The Texas Tribune in Austin, will receive $4,000 to analyze efforts to improve public health in colonias – 2,300 unincorporated and isolated border towns.
2010 NATIONAL HEALTH JOURNALISM FELLOWS
Pedro F. Frisneda, health editor of El Diario/La Prensa in New York City, will explore several serious threats to the health of Latinos in the United States: disparities in health care access and outcomes; obesity and diabetes; and HIV/AIDS.
Heather May, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune, will look at why children in some racially diverse neighborhoods in Salt Lake County are more likely than their neighbors to be born with birth defects, die from prematurity or SIDS or be hospitalized for asthma.
Elizabeth Simpson (Early), the medical reporter at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, will examine the contributing factors to infant mortality in African American neighborhoods throughout the Hampton Roads region.
Carol Smith, a Seattle-based reporter for InvestigateWest, will take a look at the health of predominantly minority communities that live and work along the Duwamish River in Seattle.
Mark Taylor, a freelancer writer based in Munster, Indiana, will produce a series of stories for the Post-Tribune that will examine the high rates of disease, infant deaths and chronic health conditions in Gary, Indiana’s poorer neighborhoods.
AHCJ members’ work honored by Journalism Center on Children & Families
Congratulations to the AHCJ members who earned 2010 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism for “distinguished coverage of disadvantaged children, youth and families.” Entries from AHCJ members who won are summarized below, with member names in bold and include comments from the Journalism Center on Children & Families.
PROJECT/SERIES: Over 200,000 circulation
Honorable mention: “Dubious Medicine,” Chicago Tribune, Trine Tsouderos, Patricia Callahan and George Papajohn
The Chicago Tribune courageously challenges doctors who peddle alternative autism remedies to parents desperate for help. Through inquisitive, fact-based reporting, the series exposes the flimsy science behind the anecdotal testimonials that underpin uncontrolled experimentation on children.
This piece also won an Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. See a tip sheet prepared by the reporters and the contest questionnaire in which the reporters write about how this story was written.
PROJECT/SERIES: Under 200,000 circulation
Winner: “Fatal Care,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gina Barton, Crocker Stephenson and Kristyna Wentz-Graff
This team went beyond the story of one child’s death in foster care to discover that 22 additional children died as a result of systemic neglect. The series features in-depth reporting matched with a strong analysis. The sidebars, graphs, photographs and a review of thousands of records add to the stories’ impact. It’s a series that got results, including a new state law that holds welfare officials accountable for the children under their watch.
MAGAZINE
Honorable mention: “School of Second Chances,” The Washington Post Magazine, Karen Houppert, Sydney Trent, Lisa Frazier and Beth Chang
A well-reported and powerfully written account of the Washington, D.C., Oak Hill Correctional Facility’s charter school and its efforts to overcome myriad challenges.
NONDAILY
Winner: “For Their Own Good,” Houston Press, Chris Vogel and Margaret Downing
Who knew that sheriff’s officials in Harris County, Texas, were placing children as young as 15 in solitary confinement, bereft of counseling, physical activity and education? No one, apparently – not even the judges who sent them there. With dogged reporting and compelling writing, Vogel exposes a justice system that seems to have given up on its most vulnerable. The project prompted outrage and action, among legislators, academics and advocates.
MULTIMEDIA
Runner-up: “The Price of Miracles,” The Providence (R.I.) Journal, Felice J. Freyer, Kathy Borchers, Susan Areson, Beth Heaney, Michael Foran, Maria Caporizzo, Tony LaRoche and Cecilia Prestamo
Each installment of this series on the costs and consequences of premature births is captivating and masterfully executed. The story flows from print to video to user-friendly charts and graphics, and the diversity of subjects presents a broad spectrum of perspective and effect.
Butcher, Rosenthal win APEX Awards
Congratulations to AHCJ members Lola Butcher and Eric Rosenthal, who won APEX Awards for Publication Excellence for work that appeared in Oncology Times.
Butcher won in the category of “How-to Series Writing,” for her articles about Twitter and cancer care:
- “How Twitter Is Transforming the Cancer Care Community“
- “Oncologists Using Twitter to Advance Cancer Knowledge.”
Rosenthal was reconized in the News Series category for his “Economy Watch” series:
- As the Economy Turns, Cancer Centers Employ Watchful Waiting
- American Cancer Society Eliminates Exhibitions at Major Oncology Meetings
- Some of This Season’s Oncology Society Meetings May be Scaled Back
- Recessional Updates Reported from AACR’s Annual Meeting
More information about the awards and a complete list of winners is online (PDF).
Send us your latest news
Got a new job? Earned a promotion? Won an award or fellowship? Just published a book? AHCJ members are encouraged to share your news by sending it to info@healthjournalism.org. Member news items are posted on Covering Health and in HealthBeat, AHCJ’s newsletter.
2009 winners named in health journalism awards
Investigations into questionable autism treatments, the safety of generic drugs, claims denials by disability insurers and the global trade in smuggled cigarettes were among the top winners in this year’s Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.
The 2009 awards, announced today by the Association of Health Care Journalists, recognize the best health reporting in nine categories, covering print, broadcast and online media. The contest, in its sixth year, received more than 250 entries.
Links to the winning entries are available and AHCJ members also can read questionnaires about how the winning entries were reported and written.
Selden Ring finalists explored nurses, caregivers
Two stories about caregivers were finalists for the 2010 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting:
- “When Caregivers Harm,” a collaboration between Maloy Moore of the Los Angeles Times and Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber of ProPublica, exposed significant flaws in the oversight of California nurses with disciplinary problems.
- “Trust Betrayed,” a series produced by Sally Kestin, Peter Franceschina and John Maines of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, revealed inadequate screening of caregivers with criminal histories.
The award, with a $35,000 prize, recognizes published investigative reporting that has brought results.
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.
Sarasota site hits milestone, wins unusual honor
It’s been three months since AHCJ member David Gulliver launched the nonprofit, online Sarasota Health News, and the site’s celebrating its first quarter with an unusual honor in an annual awards issue from Creative Loafing, the local alternative weekly.
Gulliver’s award? Best Reporter Cojones. Creative Loafing explained the honor thus:
Accustomed to the bureaucracy of a large newsroom, Gulliver now makes all the decisions: deciding which stories to cover, what the site should look like, how best to give readers content he believes in. There are plenty of ex-reporters out there, but there’s only one Sarasota Health News.
Gulliver, who says the award may be one of his favorite honors ever, is in good company. Other awards handed out by the weekly included:
- Best Use Of Ask Jeeves In The Commission Of A Crime
- Best Congressional District Resembling Abstract Art
- Best Blow To The Segway Industry
- Best Fake Capture Of A 14-Foot Python
Call for entries: Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism
Be recognized for your best work.
The Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism recognize the best health reporting in print, broadcast and online media. Entries can include a wide range of health coverage including public health, consumer health, medical research, the business of health care and health ethics.
Deadlines
Early-bird (discounted): Dec. 18
Regular: Jan. 22, 2010
Last year’s winners included a reporter’s revelation of astonishing conflicts of interest by scientists advocating for early detection of lung cancer, the exploration of a hidden world of illegal prescription drugs sold at swap meets, a narrative on a mechanic seeking to rebuild his life after an accident severed his arms, and a trip into the nightmarish world of a boy struggling with mental illness.
The contest was created by journalists for journalists and is not influenced or funded by commercial or special-interest groups.
Bowser, Parsons win SEJ awards
Two AHCJ members earned honors in the Society of Environmental Journalists Awards for Reporting on the Environment.
WTAE-Pittsburgh’s Jim Parsons, Kendall Cross and Michael Lazorko won the Outstanding Story, Television, Small Market category with “Drill Baby Drill,” described by SEJ as “the kind of outstanding environmental journalism that every newsroom should commit to report.” The story examined the impact natural gas drilling has on water volume in creeks and streams.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer’s Betty Ann Bowser, Patti Parson and Catherine Wise took second in Outstanding Story, Television, Large Market for their “Louisiana Landfills Report,” which helped put a personal face on the complicated consequences of Hurricane Katrina and accompanying rebuilding efforts.
Berens, Aleccia win National Press Club awards
Two AHCJ members have won 2009 National Press Club awards.
The Seattle Times‘ Michael Berens and Ken Armstrong won the newspaper Consumer Journalism Award for newspapers for their project about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), “Culture of Resistance.”
An MSNBC.com team that includes JoNel Aleccia won the Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award for “The Elkhart Project,” an ongoing look at Elkhart, Ind., intended to provide perspective on the national recession.
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Spend a week at the CDC studying public health, meeting sources. Apply for the AHCJ-CDC Health Journalism Fellowships today!
- Reporting on the intersection of health, environment
- Tip sheet: Covering cuts to Medicare reimbursements
- Briefing: Reporting on health reform between now and 2014
- Covering high-risk insurance pools: Tips for reporters
- Health care reform has passed: What's next?
- 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
