About AHCJ: General News

2007 winners named in health journalism awards Date: 03/10/08

Columbia, Mo. - An investigation into deaths in Georgia's psychiatric hospitals, a riveting examination of the way genetic screening tests have changed American life, and a look at the abysmal state of dental health in West Virginia are among the top winners of the latest Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.

The 2007 awards, announced today by Association of Health Care Journalists, recognize the best health reporting in 10 categories covering print, broadcast and online media. In its fourth year, the contest received nearly 400 entries.

The awards will be presented at a luncheon March 29 at Health Journalism 2008 in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards, will be the keynote speaker.

"The caliber of the winners this year is first-rate," said Charles Ornstein, contest co-chair and a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. "As many news organizations retreat from in-depth health journalism, these pieces demonstrate why this type of news is so important. The public depends on the media and this is not the time to retreat."

This year, AHCJ added two categories that recognize the best work across all media platforms. Beat reporting covers a body of work by a single author, and the limited report category highlights stand-alone articles under 1,500 words or broadcast pieces shorter than five minutes.

The awards program was established in 2004 to bring attention to top health care coverage. The association was and continues to be concerned that special-interest groups are seeking to sway media coverage by awarding large prizes for coverage of specific medical and health issues.

No health care companies or agencies fund the association's awards.

Contest entries were screened and judged by 44 fellow journalists. To maintain the integrity of the awards, board members and contest committee members are not eligible to enter the contest.

First-place winners will receive $500 plus registration and hotel accommodations at the upcoming annual conference. Winners also will speak on conference panels about their work. Those interested in attending can get further information at healthjournalism.org/hj08.

AHCJ, celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. Its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. The association and its Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism are based at the Missouri School of Journalism.

The winners are:

Beat Reporting

• First Place: Amy Harmon, The New York Times
• Second Place: Marshall Allen, Las Vegas Sun
• Third Place (tie): Susan Brink, Los Angeles Times
• Third Place (tie): Laura Meckler, The Wall Street Journal

Limited Report

• First Place: "Is It Worth It?" Judy Peres, Chicago Tribune
• Second Place: "Violence and Nursing," Joy Jacobson, American Journal of Nursing
• Third Place: "Diabetes Drug Use Surges in U.S. Children," Christopher Bowe, The Financial Times

Magazines Above 1 Million

• First Place: "How Bad Does the Health-Care Crisis Get?" Fran Smith, Redbook
• Second Place: "Is Your Doctor Playing Judge?" Sabrina Rubin Erdely, Self
• Third Place: "A Deadly Twist," Jennifer Wolff, Self

Magazines Below 1 Million

• First Place: "Fresh Pain for the Uninsured," Brian Grow, Robert Berner, Business Week
• Second Place: "The Debate Over Health Care Reform," Marilyn Werber Serafini, James A. Barnes, National Journal
• Third Place: "The Young Invincibles," David Amsden, New York Magazine

Large Newspapers

• First Place: "A Hidden Shame," Alan Judd, Andy Miller, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
• Second Place: "Golden Opportunities," Charles Duhigg, The New York Times
• Third Place: "Six Killers," Denise Grady, Gina Kolata, The New York Times

Medium Newspapers

• First Place: "Medical Misconnections: Patient-Safety Problems and Solutions," David Wahlberg, Wisconsin State Journal
• Second Place: "Living with Cancer (series)" Leslie Brody, Lindy Washburn, The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
• Third Place: "The Mercury Connection," Tony Bartelme, Doug Pardue, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

Small Newspapers

• First Place: "State of Decay: West Virginia's Oral Health Crisis" Eric Eyre, The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette
• Second Place: "Pam's Story," Mary K. Reinhart, East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Ariz.)
• Third Place (tie): "Putting a Price on Health Care," J.K. Wall, Tracy Donhardt and Norm Heikens, Indianapolis Business Journal
• Third Place (tie): "Defining Death Sparks Debate" Kris B. Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Times

TV/Radio Top 20 Markets

• First Place: "Where's Molly?" Elizabeth Cohen, Jennifer Pifer, Amy Morelly, CNN
• Second Place: "Nick's Choice," Joe Fryer, Brett Akagi, KARE-Minneapolis
• Third Place: "Dan Rather Reports: Toxic Trailers," Chandra Simon, Dan Rather and Resa Matthews; HDNet

TV/Radio Below Top 20 Markets

• First Place: "North Carolina Voices: Diagnosing Healthcare, Special Report on Diabetes in Rural North Carolina," Emily Hanford, Neenah Ellis, Ben Shapiro, North Carolina Public Radio
• Second Place: "Care-less Denials," Hagit Limor, Phil Drechsler, WCPO-Cincinnati
• Third Place: "Love, War, and PTSD: Ann and Peter Mohan," Karen Brown, WFCR Public Radio, Amherst, Mass.

Trade/Online

• First Place: "Wasting Away: Superfund's Toxic Legacy," Staff, The Center for Public Integrity
• Second Place: "Reality Check," Sue Rochman, CR magazine
• Third Place (tie): "The Pandemic Vaccine Puzzle," Maryn McKenna, Robert Roos, Marty Heibert, CIDRAP News
• Third Place (tie): "Improper Marketing As An Infectious Disease," Ed Silverman, Pharmalot.com

Winning stories are available at healthjournalism.org, and AHCJ members can view questionnaires filled out by the winners.