Health Care Journalism

Detailing the painstaking work of investigative journalists and offering case studies as examples, the “Investigative Journalism That Inspired Change” series is both educational and eye-opening. Each of the four titles has some overlapping information: a definition of investigative journalism and the differences between investigative journalism and conventional journalism; the qualities of an investigative journalist; the 5 Ws of news reporting and the process involved in following a story; sources of information and the need to protect sources; the investigative journalist’s code of ethics; the use of scientific evidence and data analysis involved in an investigation; determining the best medium to share findings; and the importance of investigative journalism to report abuse of power, unsolved crimes and general wrongdoing. Some of the work of investigative journalists can have a global impact and drive changes in policy. Three case studies are provided in each title, and what is most impressive about them is the tenacity and perseverance of the journalists whose thorough investigations have often taken years. Many of the investigative journalists featured have won awards for their work which has been presented in books, documentaries and newspaper and magazine articles, to name a few. Text boxes provide quotes as well as additional information, while colour photographs, charts and graphs reinforce the text. A table of contents, a glossary, an index, and a list of books and websites for further study are included

Health care journalism often covers such topics as elder abuse in nursing homes, diseases such as HIV/AIDs and racial inequalities in health care. One of the case studies in Health Care Journalism focuses on opiate abuse in West Virginia which had the highest drug overdose death rate in the United States. Investigative journalist, Eric Eyre, won, among other awards, the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 for his investigation into the state’s high addiction and overdose rates. He discovered that wholesalers earned billions of dollars from the sale of prescription painkillers to small towns in southern West Virginia and that the Board of Pharmacy failed to enforce regulations that could have halted or limited those sales. The second case study features the widespread problem of poor hospice home-care providers across the United States. Stories of neglect, lack of support, absenteeism, unanswered phone calls and the unethical treatment of patients were explored by two investigative journalists. Finally, the third case study examines illness caused by lead poisoning from contaminated well water and soil. The investigative journalists discovered high lead levels in thousands of zip codes across the United States, and some lead poisoning rates that were double those of Flint, Michigan, where the initial study began.

The stories in the “Investigative Journalism That Inspired Change” series are powerful, thought-provoking and illuminating, emphasizing the important role that investigative journalists play in bringing important issues to light.