The good 1. This year we were treated to some terrific series and special projects, such as: • The New York Times “Evidence Gap” series – exploring medical treatments used despite scant proof they work and examining steps toward medicine based on evidence. • The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel “Side Effects” project – An occasional series examining [...]
If you’ve had a TV on at all in the past week, you’ve probably seen the new Taco Bell commercial with the woman claiming to have lost 54 pounds on her Taco Bell “drive-thru diet.” An ABCNews.com story did a good job taking a critical look at campaigns like this one or its forerunner – [...]
Part two of journalist William Heisel’s list of the year’s top health stories. Included was one of my own favorites – Newsweek’s deconstruction of health segments on “Oprah” under the headline: Live Your Best Life Ever! Wish Away Cancer! Get A Lunchtime Face-Lift! Eradicate Autism! Turn Back The Clock! Thin Your Thighs! Cure Menopause! Harness [...]
Does smaller fingertip size explain why women have a finer sense of touch than men? Are men diagnosed with prostate cancer more likely than other men to die of a heart attack during the following year? Can probiotics help prevent the onset of Crohn’s disease? Maybe, according to recent studies. But Jeremy Singer-Vine’s Research Report [...]
In a stunning piece of science writing and literary journalism, author Rebecca Skloot tells a powerful story of medical ethics wrapped in the very personal human story of one African-American family over the past 50 years. It’s the story of Henrietta Lacks, a name few people recognize. But you can visit laboratories around the world [...]
Interesting story on consumer behavior with high-deductible health insurance plans – and how one surgeon said, “You could not design a less intelligent system.” Excerpt: “People with insurance deductibles tend to put off medical care early in the year because they have to pay out of pocket. Some then burn through their deductibles anyway because [...]
Less than 24 hours after we blogged about USA Today’s story about some of the problems with celebrities’ health advice, the Associated Press reports that 71-year old Teresa Heinz, wife of Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, “says she is being treated for breast cancer discovered through mammography and argues that younger women should continue undergoing [...]
USA Today’s Liz Szabo reports on the good and bad that can come from celebrity health crusades. Excerpt: “Experts say most of actress Suzanne Somers’ advice in her new book, Knockout, is wrongheaded or even risky. Doctors and patient advocates say they’re concerned that the actress champions alternative therapies over those with proven value.” But [...]
Every two weeks, the Wall Street Journal publishes a terrific column by Jeremy Singer-Vine. Each column gives a brief synopsis of a recent research story and then gives readers caveats about or limitations in the study itself. It’s exactly the kind of breakdown that more journalists should do every day when they cover medical research [...]
William Heisel, smart guy and good journalist, posts some of his health journalism faves of the past year.
This story focuses on a family that may have a rare genetic mutation that increases their risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, the “rare” part wasn’t mentioned until 1,600 words into this 2,100 word story.
While this story adequately addressed 7 of our 10 criteria, the 3 on which it missed were significant omissions, yet could have been easily addressed.
Solid medical conference reporting, with many expert interviews and good context provided. Goes far beyond the conference presentation itself.
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