- http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/07/insanity-workout-intervals
- http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/12/10-ways-to-love-weights
- http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/08/conversation-project-dying
Provide names of other journalists involved.
None
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
July 6, 2012; Aug. 17, 2012; Dec. 7, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
CommonHealth’s coverage of exercise is based on the conviction that in an era when the diseases of sedentary life arguably pose a greater health danger than any other factor, it is not enough merely to inform readers about fitness; the virtuous journalist must aim to actually motivate them to exercise. These two exercise posts represent a sampling from among dozens that perform a dual purpose: to inform and engage, and to get people moving. Similarly, the post on ‘The Conversation Project’ aims to motivate readers to talk with their loved ones about end-of-life care by setting an example. In a warm and moving conversation, reporter Carey Goldberg and her father, Charles Ritz, hash out their contrasting thoughts on dying and show, together, that the conversation, at least, is nothing to fear. ‘Flunking the Insanity Workout But Coming Away Wiser’ offers a much needed reality check for the hard-sell infomercials that have made ‘Insanity’ the nation’s best-selling DVD, but also offers a positive message about learning from various workouts. It was WBUR.org’s most popular Web post of 2012, suggesting it filled a powerful public demand for a counterpoint to the Insanity marketing. 10 Joys of Weight Machines: Sex, Anger, Bacon And More also uses a mix of first-person reporting, expert commentary and pure fun to try to persuade readers to strength-train as prescribed.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
These posts were based primarily on original reporting via interviews and personal experience, though they drew from a wide variety of sources, including Pubmed, Youtube, newspaper articles, reader comments, and personal experience.
Explain types of human sources used.
Mainly personal experience and interviews with experts.
Results:
The posts were all shared widely, and reader feedback suggests they helped instigate behavior changes.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No. The ‘Insanity’ post has drawn a surprising number of comments from defenders of the workout, raising the suspicion that perhaps some are part of the company’s marketing effort.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Journalism celebrates objectivity, but some things are so clearly good that we do not need to be objective about them. We argue here that encouraging exercise by informing people and actively seeking to motivate them is a worthwhile activity for a mainstream journalist. So is encouraging people to plan ahead for end-of-life care.