The Health Editor Help Desk is designed to empower journalists and ensure they have the tools and guidance needed to tackle complex health stories and produce high-impact health reporting. The Help Desk is geared toward both freelance journalists and journalists working at traditional newsrooms — even if health is not their dedicated beat. Learn more about why we launched this program.

  • Guide on ethical questions for stories
  • Help reporters sharpen pitches
  • Deliver on-demand, issue-specific training to newsrooms
  • Assist with brainstorming public records and FOIA requests
  • Help with story framing
  • Help with data interpretation and identifying public data sources
  • Provide editorial feedback prior to publication
  • Assist with ideas for story sourcing, including expert, data and human sources
  • Ideas for adapting text stories to multimedia platforms

Our Journalist-in-Residence provides office hours and one-on-one guidance through scheduled virtual meetings with reporters. Editorial guidance is personalized and tailored to the needs of the reporter and the specific story or project they are working on.

  • Fill in for or replace newsroom editors
  • Come up with story ideas
  • Perform extensive line or copy edits
  • Find publication outlets for pitches
  • Make final publication decisions
  • Reporters who are new to the health beat
  • Early career health reporters
  • Journalists tackling complex stories or investigations
  • Newsrooms with no dedicated health editor 
  • Editors who want an experienced second pair of eyes on a story before publication

Complete the Health Editor Help Desk request form, which takes only a few minutes. This helps our Journalist-in-Residence prepare for the call and deliver maximum value from the start. Afterward, you’ll receive a link to book a time slot through Calendly. If you run into issues or have questions, email farah@healthjournalism.org. Our Journalist-in-Residence will respond promptly.

Farah Yousry

Health Editor Help Desk Leader

Farah Yousry

Farah Yousry is an award-winning journalist who brings more than a decade of reporting and editing experience to AHCJ. Most recently, she served as managing editor at WFYI and Side Effects Public Media, a health reporting collaboration of NPR member stations across the Midwest. Her reporting and editing have appeared on NPR, KFF Health News, The Associated Press and other outlets. She is a former AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellow.

Before moving to the Midwest, Yousry spent more than five years with BBC News’ Arabic service, reporting on stories ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to U.S. presidential elections. She began her journalism career in Egypt, providing on-the-ground coverage of the Arab Spring and subsequent political developments.

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