Provide names of other journalists involved.
Mark Rosenberger, Executive Producer Kay Colby, Producer Katie Baker, Coordinating Producer
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Premiered on TV on WVIZ/PBS on 9/20/12. Additional coverage was aired on 90.3 WCPN through out October and November 2012.
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Addiction is defined as the continued use of a mood-altering substance or behavior despite adverse consequences. It runs the gambit — from alcohol and cigarettes to prescription and illegal drugs. And the word addiction is often applied to compulsions that while not substance-related can be just as consuming such as gambling, shopping, pornography, food, exercising and even texting. In September 2012, ideastream broadcast a one-hour television program that explored the mysterious and often misunderstood world of addiction through the eyes of five people affected by various types of addictions. The profile stories were augmented with on-set interview with medical experts who explained aspects of addiction ranging from brain chemistry to treatment and family support.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Various medical journals were used as background, as well as the resources on the website for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and results of PET scan studies at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The editorial staff spent two months talking to various local and national experts and reading medical background material to identify themes and topics for coverage.
Explain types of human sources used.
Five medical experts gathered for a roundtable meeting with ideastream’s editorial staff to discuss important issues and topics related to addiction. Themes from this meeting helped inform the coverage. In addition, 25 people suffering from various forms of addiction were identified by working with various treatment and recovery resources in Northeast Ohio. Five of those people were then selected to be profiled for the TV show.
Results:
TV viewers: The hour-long program aired 3 different times on WVIZ/PBS and was watched by approximately 45,000 viewers in northeastern Ohio. United Way: The content was re-purposed with live interviews for a special 2-hour presentation where phone specialists with United Way’s “211-First Call For Help” were set-up in our studio to connect viewers in our community who called in with low or no cost addiction services in the area. Overall there was a 54% increase in call volume to the 211 service compared to a typical/average Sunday afternoon. Also, during our TV special twice the number of callers indicated they heard about 211 from the media when compared to an average Sunday (phone specialists always ask: “how did you hear about this..?)
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
N/A
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Gathering a group of ad-hoc doctors at the beginning of the research phase was crucial to identifying the best way and format to cover this broad subject.