Judges’ comments:
The writing in this series was just beautiful – anyone who aspires to do narrative journalism should definitely study this one. But more important than the writing was the deep thinking that went into this piece. While readers were surely beguiled by the tale of a brilliant, young neurosurgeon, they also came away with valuable insight into the difficulty of providing health care in developing countries.
1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
“One Brain at a Time” by Tony Bartelme
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
July 25-28, 2010
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
“One Brain at A Time” is a four-part series about a neurosurgeon from Charleston, South Carolina, and his quest to teach brain surgery in the Tanzanian bush. The series examines the brain surgeon’s motivations as a vehicle to explore the issue of how overseas medical missions create a culture of dependency in the very countries these missions are trying to help.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
The story required a trip to the Tanzanian bush in the spring of 2010 and involved interviews with more than 30 physicians, patients and experts in global health issues, along with the review of various academic studies on the benefits and drawbacks of medical missions.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
Extensive interviews with neurosurgeons and hospital administrators in the United States; interviews with physicians, patients and government officials in Africa; interviews with global health experts in the United States, Europe and Africa.
6. Results (if any).
The series generated positive reader response in the form of numerous letters to the editors, e-mails and other comments. The neurosurgeon featured in the story was awarded an honor by a town near Charleston for his work.
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.
None.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
First, it helps to have an editor who understands and appreciates that global issues have local impacts. It was my editor’s idea to send me to Africa to report this story, and the series wouldn’t have had the same impact had we reported it from the United States. It’s also helpful to keep in mind that stories often have layers, and this one was no exception. While we focused mainly on the doctor’s efforts to teach brain surgery in the African bush, we also examined how medical missions have unintended consequences and the pros and cons of how neurosurgeons are trained in the United States.