About AHCJ: General News

Health journalism awards updated to reflect evolving media Date: 10/13/11

The Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism, which began accepting 2011 entries today,  has been revamped to reflect the changing nature of media, the Association of Health Care Journalists announced. The contest categories will revolve around story topics more than traditional media platforms.

Investigative articles, consumer pieces, business stories and other work will compete head-to-head, whether they appeared in magazines, in newspapers, on radio, on television or through websites. Several of these platform-neutral categories will be divided by size, in recognition of the resources different newsrooms can bring to a story.

“The contest reflects changes in the industry, where partnerships among media outlets are increasingly common,” said Julie Appleby, AHCJ’s contest chair and a senior correspondent at Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news service based in Washington, D.C. “A piece done by a single reporter – or a group – finds life in print, on television and on the radio. Readers turn to the website for interactive graphics, video and audio presentations.”

For the most part, the changes replace the former categories, which grouped entries by medium.

The Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism recognize the best health reporting in print, broadcast and online media. The contest is run by journalists for journalists and is not influenced or funded by commercial or special-interest groups. The new contest will feature 10 categories. Entries can include a wide range of health coverage including public health, consumer health, medical research, the business of health care and health ethics.

Work eligible for the contest must be published or aired during 2011. Entries are submitted online and are due by Feb. 3, 2012.  The awards will be presented at AHCJ’s annual conference in April. More information is available on the Web at healthjournalism.org/awards-jump.php