Insights

You learn a lot when you spend months reporting on a given issue or community, as our fellows can attest. Whether you’re embarking on a big new story or seeking to go deeper on a given issue, it pays to learn from those who’ve already put in the shoe leather and crunched the data. In these essays and columns, our community of journalists steps back from the notebooks and tape to reflect on key lessons, highlight urgent themes, and offer sage advice on the essential health stories of the day. 

Author(s)
By William Heisel

The ideas shared at last week's Health Journalism 2014 conference were innovative, provocative, and worth integrating into your daily reporting. Columnist William Heisel shares some of the most compelling lessons learned from this year's gathering.

Author(s)
By Paul Levy

Rosemary Gibson — author of "The Treatment Trap" — offered a trenchant comment on a ProPublica story by Charles Ornstein about how the University of Illinois violated its own policies by endorsing the product of a medical device company.

Author(s)
By Paul Levy

A Seattle doctor permits her name and reputation — and that of her hospital — to be used in support of a medical equipment company. Why are these relationships not more closely scrutinized by journalists?

Author(s)
By R. Jan Gurley

The U.S. faces an impending doctor shortage because not enough new ones are being trained to meet the needs of the U.S. population and a large portion of doctors are reaching retirement age. Will impending changes within the medical industry further exacerbate the problem?

Author(s)
By Marice Ashe

The use of shorthand descriptions of complex health policies is common practice among journalists and editors. But when such initiatives are described as "bans," the media does a disservice to the public debate around these issues.

Author(s)
By James Kityo

The female condom may not have been as popular as the male condom. The latter has for long been used as a contraceptive and a tool for prevention against HIV infection. There are various reasons persons living with HIV (PLHIV) attribute to this slow response.