Photo: The National Guard via Flickr
Health care issues in the military are becoming increasingly important to uncover, especially as the nation watches the response to the pandemic. At the same time, reporters may find it challenging to dig into this niche and understand what to cover.
Freelance journalists, in particular, may face difficulties in approaching sources and obtaining documents. Experienced health care reporter Patricia Kime has focused on these issues during her career, and continues to tackle them as a self-employed writer.
Her stories, which look into the effects of unsupportive bureaucracies, have covered important questions about lead poisoning, suicide, medical malpractice and Agent Orange. In 2019, her pieces appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Military Times and Military.com. She submitted these stories as a body of work for the year and won first place for AHCJ’s 2019 award in beat reporting.
In this new Q&A for AHCJ, Kime talks about her reporting process and interest in military health care. She also provides advice for those interested in investigative stories and the business of freelancing.