On this episode, we’re joined by journalists Tara Haelle and Bara Vaida to talk about the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and health journalism in the age of Covid-19. They explained what the organization does, why it is invaluable to health care journalists as an informational and networking resource, as well as their role as topic leaders in medical studies and infectious disease, respectively.
Tara talked about the importance of media understanding the different stages of vaccine development. Bara talked about writing about pandemic preparedness and why it’s important for reporters to understand the connection of politics and health care.
They explained the challenges that occur when some political reporters enter the health journalism landscape – understanding that evidence trumps “both sides” reporting. They talked about the value of Twitter in helping them find public health experts and lessons learned that could be applied to reporting on future health care issues (such as health care disparities, listening to the right experts for the right questions, and building public health literacy).
We ended the discussion by talking about their journalistic passions, what advice they would have for future journalists, and what journalism organizations they would like to salute.
Notable Links
AHCJ website
AHCJ Twitter
Tara’s Twitter
Bara’s Twitter
Tara’s website, TedXTalk on vaccination, and parenting book
Bara’s website and pandemic preparedness article
Steve Novotney, Lede News (West Virginia)
Kassidy Arena (Iowa Public Radio & Report For America)
College Media Roundtable: Hadriana Lowenkron & J.D. Duggan
Columnist, Book Author, Professor Fernanda Santos
Graham Lee Brewer, NBC News, Native American Journalists Association
Dr. Ed Madison, Journalistic Learning Initiative
Ben Chase: From Social Worker to Small-Town Journalist for The Huron Daily Plainsman
Iliana Limón Romero & Ashley Colley of The Association for Women in Sports Media
Barbara Crossette: Covering the U.N. for PassBlue to Round Out a 50+ Year Career
Donna Ladd & Ashton Pittman - Important Investigative Reporting for the Mississippi Free Press
Khushbu Shah of The Fuller Project on Covering Women's Issues Nationally and Globally
The Marjorie: Covering Women & The Environment in Florida
The 1619 Project As A Teaching Tool for High School Journalists
Hadar Harris of the Student Press Law Center on Supporting & Defending Press Freedom
Ken Lemon On How The NABJ Is Raising Important Issues For Black Journalists
Journalism teacher P.J. Cabrera on Being An Educator of Color, Scholastic Journalism Week & More
Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight on The Ways He Analyzes Elections
Robin Kemp of the Clayton Crescent: 21 Hours of Election Coverage and a Lifetime Connected to Journalism
Morgan Mullings of the Bay State Banner & Report For America On The Beginning of a Journalism Career
NAHJ VP Arelis Hernández on fair treatment for Hispanic journalists and reporting for the Washington Post
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