1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Licking salt: Sodium reduction and blood pressure Lisa Nainggolan is the author of 12 stories in the series that appeared in 2010; the series contains news stories from earlier than 2010, because the idea is to link all stories of a related nature, but for judging purposes please disregard any stories that fall outside of the entry dates for this competition.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Latest story in series published Nov 22, 2010, the first story published in 2010 was on Jan 20.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This is a series of news stories about how salt intake is excessive in most countries around the world, and the keyrole that salt plays in hypertension, leading to higher risk of stroke, heart attack and premature death. It also covers attempts in different places to reduce sodium in the diet, and the cost-savings this would generate. And the series includes a feature article about whether the US will join other countries that have already successfully implemented populatio-wide salt reduction policies.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Contents was complied from research papers published in the medical literature, news announcements by public bodies such as the US IOM, and from presentations attended at major cardiology conferences during 2010.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
The main human sources used were doctos and scientists researching this area and promoting salt reduction policies worldwide, or in a few cases opposing this. Most interviews were conducted by telephone, but some were done in person, eg at conferences.
6. Results (if any).
N/A
7. 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.
No
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
When following a particular subject long-term, like this one, keep your eyes and ears open in all the work that you do, because someone might mention something or you might see something, pertaining to that subject, often in a place you least expect.