See my article on the Columbia Journalism Review's <a href="http://www.cjrdaily.org/behind_the_news/tv_medical_reporters_puppets_a.php" target="_blank">CJR Daily website</a>.

In recognition of the sorry state of television health news, it's a call for certification of TV health reporters.  TV meteorologists get certified by the American Meteorological Society after they prove some level of knowledge and skill.  But the audience doesn't know anything about the credentials of the people who forecast cures, breakthroughs and health scares.  Read my rationale in the article.

40-million uninsured Americans.  15 percent of the GNP spent on health care.  Medicare in trouble.  States squeezed to manage Medicaid.  Just a few things in the news, yet local TV news doesn't find time for many of these issues.

See my J school's summer <a href="http://www.sjmc.umn.edu/mreporter/healthcomm.html" target="_blank">magazine</a> for a glimpse of my 2004 election year research on TV news health policy (non)coverage, and for a look at some of my colleagues' health communications research interests.