Responsible, accurate reporting on addiction

Aug. 24 at noon ET/9 a.m. PT

Reporting on addiction can be challenging because there are so many facets to the big picture and so many pitfalls resulting from stigma about addiction.

Sometimes stories don’t focus enough on withdrawal and recovery aspects of addiction. Sometimes an article inadvertently reinforces stereotypes or stigmatizing misconceptions, such as portraying addiction as a moral failing rather than a chronic disease.

This webcast, featuring Tom Hill, M.S.W., vice president of addiction and recovery, National Council for Behavioral Health, will review some of the pitfalls that can occur in reporting on addiction and how to avoid them, including being conscientious about the language used in stories. We also will touch on the science of addiction and what treatments have been successful in treating it.

Tara Haelle, AHCJ’s topic leader for medical studies, will moderate the webcast, which will include time for questions from AHCJ members.

How to participate

» Please use this diagnostic test page to be sure you’re set up correctly to enter the webcast.

Click here, choose the “Enter as a Guest” option, type in your name and click on the “Enter Room” option.

This event is exclusively for AHCJ members so you will need your website login and password. If you don’t have that, please visit this page and enter your email address to have an access key sent to you.

• Tom Hill began at the National Council for Behavioral Health in March 2017, serving as vice president of addiction and recovery. Hill previously served as a presidential appointee in the position of senior advisor on addiction and recovery to the SAMHSA Administrator. As part of this post, he initially served as acting director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Prior to his appointment, he was a senior associate at Altarum Institute, serving as technical assistance director for a number of SAMHSA treatment and recovery support grant initiatives. He served for four years as director of programs at Faces & Voices of Recovery. Hill’s personal experience of recovery from addiction spans over two decades. Reflecting his commitment to the goal of long-term recovery for individuals, families, and communities, Hill has also served on numerous boards of directors, advisory boards, committees, and task force/working groups. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Johnson Institute America Honors Recovery Award, the NALGAP Advocacy Award, and a Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship in the Developing Leadership in Reducing Substance Abuse initiative.