We’re Shaping How Health Stories Are Reported

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Pulitzer Center Journalism Is Foundational to Health Care Reforms 

What’s a good way to mark World Health Day on April 7? Check out the impressive investigations journalists worldwide have produced with Pulitzer Center grants and guidance. 

These are the kinds of stories that are foundational to meaningful change. 

For example, a Texas Tribune story in both English and Spanish recently showed how working-class Houston residents are unable to understand alerts meant to let them know when toxic industrial fumes are wafting through their neighborhood. A Military.com story, part of a series on military health care, documented how U.S. Air Force “missileers” were exposed for years to known toxic substances and are now suffering from cancer and other illnesses. 

Pulitzer Center support has also enabled journalists in other countries to pursue ambitious health stories. For the last year, I’ve worked with partners in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia to hold webinars so other journalists can learn from Pulitzer Center grantees and health experts. 

South Africa’s Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism hosted “Jabs and Justice," featuring reporters Taiwo Adebulu from Nigeria and Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman from Ghana. With Pulitzer Center support, both have reported extensively on vaccine skepticism and how to best address it. Ayoade Alakija, co-chair of the African Union’s COVID-19 Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance, also provided insight into health developments reporters could investigate. 

For Latin American journalists, the Pulitzer Center co-hosted a Spanish-language webinar with Venezuelan news outlet Prodavinci. Staff reporters shared how they documented unequal access to health care and vaccines in Venezuela. Grantees from other countries explained how they investigated neglect of long COVID patients in Mexico; barriers to mental-health medication in Peru; and abuse of pregnant women of Haitian heritage in the Dominican Republic. 

Elsewhere in the world, India’s Scroll outlet hosted “How To Cover the Impact of Climate Change on Health in South Asia.” The webinar featured Mahima Jain, who was supported by the Pulitzer Center to investigate new health threats facing outdoor workers as global temperatures rise. Reporters also learned about new research from Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organization, and Meghnath Dhimal, of the Nepal Health Research Council. 

Better health requires good journalism. The Pulitzer Center is creating global networks toward that end. 

Best, 

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IMPACT

Pulitzer Center grantee Justin Cook reported on the difficulties residents of Princeville, North Carolina, faced as they advocated for their houses to be rebuilt after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. 

Cook interviewed Ann Adams, who lost her house to flooding. ReBuild NC, a state-run program in North Carolina, offered to rebuild it in six months. But due to organizational failures, it took years. 

After Cook contacted ReBuild NC for his story, the state began to rebuild Adams’ home in May 2023. In December, she settled into the new build, back on family land. To read more about the impact of Cook’s reporting, read the update here.

This message first appeared in the April 5, 2024, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

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