With traditional journalism undergoing dramatic changes and transmission of health-related stories being affected, the California HealthCare Foundation announced this week its support for a new initiative
The prototype for this effort is led by journalism professor and principal investigator Michael Parks (pictured, right) and provides selected journalists a six-month period in which to explore innovative yet effective and reader-friendly methods of using new media and transmitting content. Parks will shepherd the work of these journalists, who work under the auspices of USC Annenberg, and help build essential media partnerships.
“[The Center] will provide quality journalism on health care issues for California news media,” Parks said. “Over the next six months or so, a small team of journalists will undertake important projects that resource-strapped news organizations lack the staffing to undertake.”
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 six months of work that will provide the state and country health-related news.
“The project is important in itself, it will test a new model for funding journalism … and it moves Annenberg into a form of experimental journalism,” Parks said.
