Nieman Reports Highlights IRP’s Global Health Coverage
By IRP Staff, March 21, 2012
“In global health,” Stefanie Friedhoff writes for Nieman Reports, “the stories that matter are rarely news; the resources and commitment it takes to investigate programs and major players are rarely available; and the truth about how hard it can be to help people in need can indeed be numbing.”
But Friedhoff also points to independent journalism programs like the International Reporting Project that are filling the gaps in global health coverage. For years, IRP has supported journalists and editors that turn the spotlight toward global health. In spring 2011 and 2012, IRP hosted a total of ten journalists focusing exclusively on maternal health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, water-borne illnesses, and new scientific and medical research.
The Nieman Foundation cited efforts like these as crucial to bridging the gaps in coverage of this field. By providing support, space and training for reporters covering various topics, including global health, IRP renews its commitment to under-reported issues. And by bringing journalists together to share experiences and resources, IRP establishes a way to move forward in the field of global health reporting.
IRP Global Health Journalists in Spring 2011:
Jenny Asarnow reported on midwives, maternal health and post-earthquake care in Haiti.
Jill Braden Balderas reported on malaria testing and prevention in Uganda.
Ann S. Kim reported on infant circumcision as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS transmission in Botswana.
Annie Murphy reported on HIV/AIDS patients who team up to get medication in Mozambique.
David Taylor reported on medical brain drain, malaria tracking models and musicians supporting malaria research in Mali.
IRP Global Health Journalists in Spring 2012:
Juhie Bhatia, managing editor of Women's eNews, is reporting on maternal health in Morocco; she also reported on the same subject in Liberia as a 2010 IRP Gatekeeper Editor.
Andrew Green is reporting on returnee health care, HIV/AIDS, maternal health, latrines, polio, and the guinea worm in South Sudan, and he surveyed the new country's emerging health care system as a whole. Cathy Shufro is reporting on migrant care in Burma and Thailand, including tuberculosis patients and maternal health.
Carey Wagner is reporting on maternal health and HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea.
Christopher Werth is reporting on chronic illness and noncommunicable disease in India.