CIDRAP News provides infectious-disease coverage that speaks to readers in everyday language but is backed by science; every story must have at least one link to the appropriate scientific literature. CIDRAP felt that mainstream coverage of the search for a vaccine against pandemic flu was increasingly based on press releases and so decided to delve deeply into extant scientific research and government regulation. Result: Strong evidence a pandemic vaccine will be delayed for years beyond what authorities have admitted.
Judges’ Comments: A compelling 7-part series that presents evidence that a pandemic vaccine for HSN1 avian influenza virus will not be forthcoming because of poor policy and funding. The writing and editing team gives the history of the plight to find a universal vaccine and lays out the land mines that continue to stand in the way of scientific discovery. It ends with a strong argument for a Manhattan Project-type program that could bring recovery.
Read “The Pandemic Vaccine Puzzle” by Maryn McKenna.
See the contest questionnaire in which the reporter writes about how this story was written.
Avian and pandemic influenza tip sheet by Maryn McKenna.