Insights

<p>When does health begin? And how far back do you have to go to be truly healthy? That's the gist of an article I just read in the Nov. 8 issue of Newsweek, entitled "<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/30/how-your-experiences-change-your-spe… of the Grandfathers</a>," by Sharon Begley.</p>

<p>Last week two different television programs aired that depicted first a murder (on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tnt.tv/series/closer&quot; title="Closer">Closer</a>) and then a brutal assault (on <a href="http://tv.yahoo.com/private-practice/show/41365;_ylt=AsykvNm2ux7_YNVfRJ…; title="Private Pra

<p>I was all set to write this post about how journalists could mine the burgeoning field of “health impact assessments” for stories when I noticed that Melissa Sweet of the excellent <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/">Croakey health policy blog</a> already had written <a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/11/11/how-are-health-impact-ass… great post on the topic</a>. Drat.</p> <p>Fortunately, Melissa was writing for Australians, so I still can add my two cents.</p>

<p>Dori Maynard, the president of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, spends her life talking to journalists about how factors like race, gender, and age affect our understanding of what's news and our ability to empathize with our subjects. She spoke compellingly about these issues just a few weeks ago at our most recent Fellowship sessions. As she waited for a foundation executive earlier this month in the lobby of a Hampton Inn in Washington, she had a chilling firsthand experience that will no doubt inform her presentations to come.

<p>Here’s what we’re checking out today:</p> <p><strong>ADHD:</strong> Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnoses are on the rise, with nearly one in 10 kids being diagnosed with the condition at some point in their lives. NPR’s Scott Hensley <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/11/11/131243971/adhd-on-the-rise-1… the just-released CDC data</a>. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The recent debate over CT lung cancer screening for heavy smokers is a great example of how big the stakes can be when reporting on medical screening, and how important it is to get the story right. Remember last year’s <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/17/AR20091… arguments</a> over the merits of breast cancer screening mammograms for women under 50?</p>

<p>Here’s what we’re checking out today:</p>

<p><strong><em>Editor’s Note:</em></strong><em> Today, Center for Health Journalism Digital Contributing Editor and&nbsp;<a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/antidote" target="_blank">Antidote</a></em><em>&nbsp;</em><em>author William Heisel will be speaking at the&nbsp;</em><em>Consumers Union Safe Patient Summit&nbsp;in Austin, Texas. Heisel will speak about "Diagnosing Doctors: Using Public Information for&nbsp;Accountability." He will be joined by Bob Oshel, a former&nbsp;senior program analyst and research director, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration.

<p>Here’s what we’re checking out today:</p>

<p>Here’s what we’re checking out today:</p>