William Heisel

<p>The FDA finally cracked down on billboard marketing campaigns that portray Lap-Band surgery as risk-free. Two reporters and a public health official from Los Angeles deserve some of the credit for the FDA's move.</p>

<p>Sometimes, knowing what's on a person's death certificate can lead to a public benefit. So why do some states make death certificates private and others consider them public documents?</p>

<p>When is a story important enough to warrant reporting on a cause of death? Do the deaths of famous people open an opportunity to raise public awareness about medical errors or other health threats? What about the person next door?</p>

<p>Medicare is taking steps to make its database public to health insurers and other groups. Why aren't journalists included?</p>

<p>If the consequences for pharma-sponsored ghostwriting are steep – lawsuits, public embarrassment, retractions – the temptations are also very real. A former ghostwriter weighs in and offers some solutions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In these tough economic times, it might seem crazy to turn down a paycheck. But what if that paycheck has complicated strings attached?</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Even a decade behind bars does not seem a fair punishment for snuffing out the King of Pop. Dr. Conrad Murray likely only serve two years for his role in Michael Jackson's death.</p>

<p>Should doctors be checked for competence as they age, as elderly drivers are? A negligence case involving a 75-year-old obstetrician raises some tough questions.</p>

<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wrote </span><span style="font-size: small;">a piece recently for Health News Review</span><span style="font-size: small;"> about conflicts of interest. The original post is below, followed by more great examples of writers describing unexpected conflicts in detail.</span></span></p>

<p>Food writer Karen Coates guest-blogs on how we can move beyond blaming fast food for obesity to a more sophisticated understanding of how to prevent it.</p>