Tag Archives: Conflicts of interest

Review-Journal investigation chronicles allegations against dental board

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Dental tools

Photo by Jan van Broekhoven via Flickr

Over recent years, the Nevada Board of Dental Examiners has weathered plenty of criticism. Two governors have singled out the professional licensing board for scrutiny. State audits, including one released in June, have raised troubling questions about accountability and ethical lapses by the dental board, which is funded by professional licensing fees and charged with practitioner oversight and the protection of patients across the state.

Along the way, an ongoing feud between the dental board and the Las Vegas Dental Association kept tensions simmering. Then, a five-month investigation by the Las Vegas Review-Journal helped bring the dental board’s troubles to a boiling point. Continue reading →

Mary Otto, a Washington, D.C.-based freelancer, is AHCJ's topic leader on oral health and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America." She can be reached at mary@healthjournalism.org.

Freelancers, editors explore ethics, integrity and transparency

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Photo: Pia Christensen/AHCJEditor Brendan Maher stressed that writers should always be transparent about potential conflicts of interest.

While their hearts and training may lie with traditional objective journalism, many freelancers take on additional writing assignments in order to make ends meet. But when do these non-journalistic jobs present real or potential conflicts of interest with journalism?  How should writers and their editors address the ethical questions that may arise? In an evolving media landscape, how do freelance journalists maintain objectivity – and integrity – while paying the bills? Continue reading →

Mary Otto, a Washington, D.C.-based freelancer, is AHCJ's topic leader on oral health and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America." She can be reached at mary@healthjournalism.org.

Checking conflicts of interest: If cutting corners, at least do it right

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Photo: Hey Paul Studios via Flickr

Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way to get them right the next time – even when you already know better and shouldn’t have made that rookie mistake in the first place.

That’s what this post is about: My haste in covering a story I already know a lot about led me to omit a crucial piece of reporting – checking for potential conflicts of interest. I hope others will learn from my experience and use the resources I provide below to avoid the same mistake. Continue reading →

Tara Haelle (@TaraHaelle) is AHCJ's medical studies core topic leader, guiding journalists through the jargon-filled shorthand of science and research and enabling them to translate the evidence into accurate information.

Panelists pull back the curtain on medical studies at #AHCJ18

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Photo: Pia Christensen/AHCJTara Haelle organized and moderated a panel about how to interpret medical research.

PHOENIX — Think about medical studies: One can conclude a certain thing and another one will say the opposite. They can be scary and confusing.

“Just because something is statistically significant, doesn’t mean it’s clinically significant,” F. Perry Wilson, M.D., M.S.C.E., assistant professor of medicine at Yale University, told about 50 people at a conference. Continue reading →

Tyler Fingert, a Cronkite News broadcast reporter on the consumer beat, covers health care and consumer trends and behavior. His portfolio includes stories on a special session to address the opioid crisis and a proposed Good Samaritan law.

AHCJ strengthens its ethics rules on conference funding

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AHCJ has strengthened its ethical standards on funding for the annual conference, enhancing the ethics code established at our inception 20 years ago to guard against undue influence by outside groups or the perception of such influence.

You can find evidence of the recent changes in the conference program and registration form: Continue reading →

Felice J. Freyer is AHCJ's president and a health care reporter for The Boston Globe.