List date(s) this work was published or aired.
22-Mar-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
African Americans are three times as likely to have kidney disease than whites. The District of Columbia has the highest rate of end-stage renal disease in the country. The story looks at the main causes of kidney disease and gives examples of Blacks impacted by the disease.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used data from the National Kidney Foundation.
Explain types of human sources used.
I profile three cases of African Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area dealing with kidney disease: a middle-aged woman who donated one of her kidneys to her brother; a young security guard who is waiting on a kidney transplant; and a senior citizen who received a kidney from his wife.
Results:
The article educated TheRoot/DC audience, a mostly African American community, on the common causes of kidney disease and how it can be prevented. It also provided real life examples of those struggling with the disease. Many folks in the community learned that things like high blood pressure and diabetes could lead to kidney disease. Our audience also learned that a family history of kidney disease was a predictor. This was powerful information to a community dealing with health disparities.
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.
There was a correction to one of the main subject’s age.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The story was told through the eyes of those who had experienced kidney disease — a donor, a recipient and someone waiting on a kidney.Their personal stories provide a unique perspective and put a human face on the disease.