AHCJ has named the latest winners of its annual awards. A reporter’s revelation of astonishing conflicts of interest by scientists advocating for early detection of lung cancer led to one of this year’s Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.
The awards also spotlighted such work as the exploration of a hidden world of illegal prescription drugs sold at swap meets, a narrative on a mechanic seeking to rebuild his life after an accident severed his arms, and a trip into the nightmarish world of a boy struggling with mental illness.
“It seems that every day, journalists and the public are inundated with stories about the death of our profession,” said Charles Ornstein, contest co-chair and a senior reporter at ProPublica. “Yet these award winners offer clear evidence that good health care journalism continues. Not only that, they show in a compelling way why health care must remain an integral beat in newsrooms across the country.”
The 2008 awards recognize the best health reporting in 11 categories covering print, broadcast and online media. In its fifth year, the contest received nearly 300 entries.
Winning stories are available online and AHCJ members can view questionnaires filled out by the winners.
