1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
The Culture and Cancer of Rural Poverty: Nowhere in America is the connection between rural poverty and cancer as clear-cut as in Appalachia Author: Sue Rochman Note: Photographs are © Charles Bertram. Published as part of CR's series Cancer in America
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of CR magazine.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Appalachia is a 205,000-square-mile area that is home to 24.8 million people, of whom 42 percent are rural residents (compared with 20 percent of the U.S. population). The region begins in southern New York state and ends in northern Mississippi. Spanning 420 counties and crossing 13 states, it incorporates all of West Virginia, and includes parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. To geographers, Appalachia is distinguished by the mountain range that runs through the region. To epidemiologists, it is a hotbed of cancer. Six of the seven U.S. states with the highest cancer death rates are part of Appalachia, and most of the other Appalachian states are not far behind. To improve cancer care in the region, investigators are leaving the ivory tower to learn the "why" behind the statistics and work with the community to develop the solutions. This type of collaborative approach is called community-based participatory research, and both patient advocates and cancer researchers are trying to harness its potential to improve cancer care in disadvantaged regions. This story highlights what researchers have learned and some of the programs that are now underway.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
NCI and SEER cancer statistics
5. Explain types of human sources used.
Extensive interviews with researchers working in and residents of Appalachia.
6. Results (if any).
Not applicable.
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.
Background your story as much as possible before beginning your interviews. This preparation helped me to encourage the people I interviewed to focus on the smaller details, allowing me to get the anecdotes that shaped the story.