Census data, doctor reviews on the Internet, and the virtues of being on the health beat

Keep up with the best reading on the web with the Daily Briefing via RSS. Here are today's picks:

Beat It: Apologies for the corny King of Pop reference, but I had no choice. PLoS Medicine published a study this week that demonstrates the value of being a specialized health reporter.

"In a word this is devastating": So says a professor of social medicine and health policy in response to the news that the rate of uninsured Americans was 16.7 percent last year, up from 15.4 percent in 2008. According to Kaiser Health News, "It was one of the largest single year increases since the Census starting tracking the figure in 1987." Healthy Cal also reports on Census data: California's poverty rate is up more than 2 percent since 2007.

Don't trust everything you read: The SF Weekly features a cautionary tale and investigation about a doctor's efforts to make herself look great on the Internet.

What are your favorite stories from the week? Share in comments.