1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
"Dashboard Delirium: When Connectivity and Caution Collide"
"When Haiti Hits Home, Come to the Aid of Your Stress"
"Bored with Health Care Reform? Let's Rally Around Wellness"
"Ride Your Bike to Work! Spin You Can Believe In"
All by Marilynn Preston.
Energy Express is a weekly syndicated column about healthy lifestyle issues, including fitness, smart eating, stress reduction, mindbody awareness, sports injury prevention, adventure travel and more. I created and began writing the column in 1976, during my 18 years as a feature writer and critic at the Chicago Tribune. 2010 marks the 34th year of the column's national syndication, making it the longest-running fitness column in the country. As you'll see from the 4 columns submitted, Energy Express is a unique blend of health news, analysis, commentary and opinion. I help readers understand that the business of health care is their business, and inform and inspire them to make positive changes that lead to a healthier, happier lifestyle.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
"Dashboard Delirium" was released for publication by Creators Syndicate on Jan. 12, 2010
"When Haiti Hits Home" was released on Jan. 26, 2010
"Bored With Health Care Reform?" was released on March 7, 2010
"Ride Your Bike to Work!" was released on May 25, 2010
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
1. "Dashboard Delirium": based on the news coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show of 2010, deals with an accelerating consumer health issue: driving while distracted (by small screen technology, mobile phones, texting devices, etc.) Living a healthy lifestyle depends on making smart choices, at home, at work and now, in the car. The column blends news, commentary and expert opinion, helping readers steer clear of a growing public safety problem.
2. "When Haiti Hits Home…" links the tragic news about the earthquake in Haiti to the stresses felt by people around the globe, included Americans. This column helps people frame the tragedy and cope with it, giving readers stress reduction skills they can use in their everyday life.
3. I wrote "Bored With Health Care Reform?" in the heat of the 2010 health care reform debate. It calls attention to the need for more focus on prevention and wellness, and speaks to the importance of not just reducing costs of medical care but –even more important!– reducing demand.
4. It is good public health policy to motivate more people to ride their bikes to work (and to school, and to the mall, etc.) In "Ride Your Bike to Work! Spin You Can Believe In," I call attention to National Bike to Work Day/Month and encourage people to ride more, build strength, save fuel, lower stress –only some of the benefits associated with cycling.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
1. I researched the new products at the Consumer Electronics Show and wove it into a column that included statistical studies about the health hazards of driving while distracted. I included a couple of Internet sources (and Apps) for overriding the technology for safer, more focused, driving.
2. I read & researched & thought deeply about the tragic circumstances of the Haitian tragedy, and its impact on U.S. citizens. There was no need to use the Freedom of Information Act or uncover hidden court documents. It was in our face and on our minds every day.
3. I've been tracking on U.S. health care public policy issues for decades, especially when it comes to the lack of focus on prevention, wellness and reducing consumer demand. I use all the journalistic tools available to me, including long walks, thinking about ways to move readers from sedentary lives to active ones.
4. Same same. My column about biking to work is informed by all sorts of books, articles, and Internet resources, not to mention years of yoga classes that have shaped my understanding of healthy lifestyle issues for the last 34 years. Data R Us.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
My best human sources, besides the various medical experts I consult with and often quote in my columns, are my readers. They are constantly emailing me their questions, their concerns, their fears and frustrations, and that keeps me (and the columns) honest and true.
6. Results (if any).
Results? I know my columns have changed people's lives. They have inspired readers to exercise more, eat less junk, lose weight without dieting, spend more time in nature, play with their kids, let go of anger, learn to ski at 60, and — very important — take responsibility for their own health and wellness.
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 one has asked me to clarify these columns, or challenged their accuracy. I also have not had to run any corrections, though I notice that in the headline of column 1 about driving while distracted, the word "delirium" is not spelled correctly. I just noticed.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
I'll limit myself to two bits of advice, based on two of the four columns submitted. The negative effects of cell and mobile technology, on our minds and bodies and brains, will continue to haunt the headlines in the coming years. There are obvious parallels between cell phones and cigarettes, including the fact that we are in the total denial stage right now. This will change as more independent research is reported, especially from Europe. My advice: Take the suspected health issues involved with cell phone technology seriously. And know that getting adults and youngsters to change their behavior when it comes to small-screen addiction may prove to be an even bigger challenge than reducing obesity. Many journalists cover health care reform as a rising-costs problem. Given my training and background in healthy lifestyle issues, I see it more as a runaway demand problem. And I suggest other journalists do the same. If our leaders don't negotiate a system that promotes healthier, happier lifestyles, our country will go broke trying to keep up with endlessly rising demand, especially now, when our kids are growing up with huge health problems having to do with obesity, lack of exercise, poor eating habits and way too much stress. My advice? Next time a journalist hears a politician carry on about the U.S. having the best health care system in the world, make him prove it. He can't. We don't. But we could.