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.
2008 winners named in health journalism awards
AHCJ has named the latest winners of its annual awards. A reporter’s revelation of astonishing conflicts of interest by scientists advocating for early detection of lung cancer led to one of this year’s Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.
The awards also spotlighted such work as 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.
“It seems that every day, journalists and the public are inundated with stories about the death of our profession,” said Charles Ornstein, contest co-chair and a senior reporter at ProPublica. “Yet these award winners offer clear evidence that good health care journalism continues. Not only that, they show in a compelling way why health care must remain an integral beat in newsrooms across the country.”
The 2008 awards recognize the best health reporting in 11 categories covering print, broadcast and online media. In its fifth year, the contest received nearly 300 entries.
Winning stories are available online and AHCJ members can view questionnaires filled out by the winners.
Deadline approaches to enter your top work
Recently, AHCJ’s principles were cited as a positive way to avoid conflicts of interest for health reporting in a paper published in BMJ. One of the possible conflicts of interest discussed in BMJ was sponsored awards offered to journalists, such as those cosponsored by Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim and Roche.
Marina Walker-Guevara accepts a 2006 Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism on behalf of the Center for Public Integrity.
That’s just one more reason to enter AHCJ’s Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. The awards were created by journalists for journalists and are not influenced or funded by commercial or special-interest groups. Get the recognition you deserve from a highly respected awards program.
Last year’s winners included stories about patient safety, mistreatment in mental hospitals, health care reform and much more.
The early-bird deadline - with discounted entry fee - is just two weeks away so prepare and mail your entry today.
2008 Deadlines
Early-bird: Postmark by Dec. 17, 2008
Regular: Postmark by Jan. 26, 2009
-
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
