September 28, 2020
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Great health reporting demonstrates the human implications of major policy changes, said Shefali Luthra of The 19th*. 

Luthra — who joined the team in July — covers the intersection of women and health care. She previously reported on national health care and policy as a correspondent for Kaiser Health News. 

We reached out to Luthra for her top tips on how journalists can cover health policy stories when it’s not typically their job.

One of the big policy stories right now is whether the Supreme Court will vote on the Affordable Care Act. What advice can you give journalists reporting on health care policy when it's not normally their beat?

Luthra: Health policy stories are complicated but important, and this one is obviously no exception. If you have a health care reporter on your team, ask for advice! That person has probably been following this for a long time, and can help you get a grasp on it. I try to read from a variety of other really smart health care journalists too — including but by no means limited to the work by my former colleagues at Kaiser Health News. (Their weekly podcast, "What The Health" is a helpful primer in general of what's going on in the health space.) KFF, its parent organization, also has really great resources to better understand the dynamics of the court case and the implications of overturning the ACA. 

When writing about the court case, I'd say that it's good to go beyond just the dynamics of what's happening in Washington. The details of the court case and the nuances of how the ACA works are critical to get right. But the best health policy journalism looks as well at the human implications of major changes. Who are the people who would be affected if the ACA (either partially or entirely) went away? What are their stories? How might their lives change? Also, talk to people about how they're navigating health care issues even now — this is an issue that affects all of us, and even just casual conversations with friends and family can be illuminating.

In your opinion, what are some of the bigger policy stories that are getting neglected right now because of COVID?

Luthra: Efforts to address maternal mortality are a big story. Same with financing long-term care. Health care costs — both from the vantage of drug prices and hospital charges — is a tremendous story. These are complex issues with real, visceral consequences for so many Americans, and there is a lot of really great journalism begging to be done. 

You recently joined The 19th*. Can you share what it's been like starting a new job during the pandemic? What are some of the highlights from your reporting since then?
 
Luthra: In theory, starting a new job without meeting most of my colleagues in person would be exceptionally weird. But in practice, transitioning into The 19th* has been a dream. It's a very close-knit and collaborative team, and we regularly communicate on Slack and video chat. (We talk about work, of course, but also what TV shows we're watching, what we're cooking, our skincare routines, etc.) There's a really strong sense of mission that drives all of our reporting, and I know it's pushed me to challenge myself and grow in new ways. 

I've been really privileged to get time and support from my editors to do some features that illustrate how health policy and the pandemic affect people around the country. My favorites include a deep dive on depression and anxiety increases around the country, and how these conditions are playing out on race and gender lines. There was also a story documenting the fear felt by people who have become pregnant during the pandemic, and one on the experience of home care workers — who are doing essential work, paid little, not guaranteed PPE, and often women who are Black or Latina. 

What are some health care resources that journalists can use when reporting on a deadline?

Luthra: The Kaiser Family Foundation is phenomenal. Their website, kff.org, is a really great starting point for good, nonpartisan and comprehensive research and polling on health policy issues. Their experts are super smart, and some of my favorite people to call. I usually check for CDC research, too. There are other websites — big government databases that track hospital payments and drug spending, public worker safety records, etc — but those are probably better for longer-term deep dives.
What does it take to turn your memories into a memoir? When is the right time to write a memoir about your life? How do you report on your own experiences and fact-check them? How do you determine what you don’t know and decide what to leave out? And when, and how, do you tell the people closest to you about their role in the narrative? 

These issues will be discussed in a 45-minute program with memoirists Mindy Greiling, author of “Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for her Son”; Abby Maslin, author of “Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love”; journalist Angela Greiling Keane, managing editor, states and Canada at POLITICO, whose family played a role in both memoirs; with moderator Aly Colón, Knight Professor of Media Ethics at Washington & Lee University. 

Registration is open for the program, which will be held on Oct. 2, from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. 
Great leaders know that collaboration is key to a great team dynamic. Being intentional about knowing your team and their motivations, especially while working in the trenches of a never-ending news cycle, can drive excellent work even while you build those relationships from afar

Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Click here to read Jill’s previous posts.
For journalist Sarah Maslin Nir, recognizing that you need self-care is the first step. Nir discussed the importance of self-care for journalists with fellow New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi at an Institute program on how memoir writing can transform trauma into healing:

“I’m the daughter of a psychiatrist and a psychologist. I think for me, self-care is recognizing you need self-care and taking the steps. I’m not particularly good to myself because we’ve been going going, going — both Rukmini and I — on covering, you know, racial and civil unrest, and me the virus in New York City. I was all pleased with myself — and definitely a little hubristic — I had a front page story on the virus as soon as I recovered. I wrote, I crowed, ‘take that virus!’ And then I had a relapse. I don’t think as journalists we take very good care of ourselves because taking care of the story is a sort-of taking care of ourselves, but recognizing that you need to is the first step, and I’ll get better the rest.”
Read on for more self-care tips, or share how you are taking care of yourself right now.
This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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