The Center for California Health Care Journalism — sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation and led by journalism professor Michael Parks (pictured) and USC Annenberg — unveiled its first major project this month as it partnered with the Merced Sun-Star to publish a series of articles about a proposed medical school at UC Merced.

"Our joint adventure marks a new experiment for American journalism," Sun-Star executive editor Mike Tharp wrote in an op-ed article. "An educational institution, funded by a foundation, is partnering with a newspaper in a groundbreaking pilot project. It's the center's maiden voyage with a media company."

Parks said he was pleased with both the joint effort and production of the series, titled "Sowing Hope," which included articles, sidebars, photos and multimedia presentations.

“I thought it was a good piece of journalism accomplished at a reasonable cost," Parks told the Association of Health Care Journalists in a feature article. "I thought it brought to the public a range of issues involved in establishing a medical school to solve a serious health care deficit. I think it will contribute to the debate when the (UC) regents make a decision in January.”

Because of the blend of nonprofit and traditional journalism, the newspaper gave its readers an “up-close and extensive look at UC Merced’s hope for a medical school,” Tharp said.

Subject matter for the series included hopes for a new medical school, how a Merced medical school would differ from urban schools, an audio slideshow about the need for a school, and the reason January will be a pivotal month in deciding whether the school will be developed.

The Center has more work planned and is in discussions with various California-based newspapers about additional health coverage on other topics.

"We are engaged in solutions-based journalism," Parks said. "We hope these projects create a civil dialogue. …Part of the responsibility of journalists is to go out and examine the solutions."

There are four months left on the center's initial six-month trial period. 

The CHCF, which has worked with policymakers, industry leaders, the health care workforce, researchers and the public to inform and educate Californians, is a non-partisan innovator in health care news and information, according to its Web site. Foundation-supported reporting, says the CHCF, will fill the need for in-depth, high-quality health care journalism in California and it has earmarked $239,000 for the “test-of-concept” prototype at USC Annenberg – paving the way for work that will provide the state and country health-related news. 

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"Sowing Hope" series
About the Center for California Health Care Journalism