1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Where America stands: Alzheimer’s Disease
Correspondent: Dr. Jonathan Lapook
Producer: Amy Burkholder
Senior Producer: Katie Boyle
Editor: Lamont Belton
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
January 12, 2010 / aired on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Imagine three generations of one family: touched by a disease with no cure, no treatments that actually slow progression, no clear idea of what causes it … And the potential to rob a person of their very essence: their mind and memories. We profiled three women- a New Orleans grandma with advanced Alzheimer’s…her 50 year old daughter with early onset … And her 30 year old daughter, about to become pregnant and haunted by the question – should she get a gene test, and would she really want to know if she was its next victim? Given nearly six minutes of prime network news real estate, we researched long and hard … To bring unique characters to life … To profile a promising Phase III drug trial …biomakers and brain imaging, animal science (“if we were mice, Alzheimer’s would be cured”) – cognitive testing, and drug development.
4. Explain types of documents, data or internet resources used. Were foi or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
No FOI – just reading a boatload of studies.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
Immodestly, I can report – we were in contact with all the country’s top Alzheimer’s experts, virtual or telephone, to make sure we covered all the bases.
6. Results (if any).
The piece generated tremendous feedback; and served as a springboard to report important Alzheimer’s research developments throughout the year. The attention it garnered within the Alzheimer’s community resulted in a fellowship for the producer at the National Press Foundation’s Alzheimer’s program – to dig even deeper into the issues.
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.
The Alzheimer’s field is rife with angels – passionate investigators who believe their research is *the key* to unlocking the mysteries of this mind-robbing disease. But journalists can have a devil of a time evaluating theories (is the buildup of amyloid protein causing memory loss? When will the amyloid theory see proof of concept, will the anti-amyloid drugs work?) … Treatments and even the value of new diagnostic criteria. Frankly – I can cite at least one NYT article that got a story, exactly wrong. Folks are desperate for answers – for drugs that do more than minimally ease symptoms, but actually slow or prevent memory loss. With the ‘silver tsunami,’ this is a disease that can potentially bankrupt our healthcare system… So journalists need to jump in, work hard to understand … And find vivid characters to illustrate Alzheimer’s, while providing the necessary context – it’s still not known what causes it, how to treat it – or if it can be cured.