Federal health reform is a national policy, but it has a major impact on people at the local level, especially in rural areas. So, how can rural newsrooms with limited resources provide their readers with fair and balanced information? Deron Lee examines the question in a story for Columbia Journalism Review. "As implementation of the Affordable Care Act moves along, the law has
far-reaching and sometimes unique implications for rural communities—yet
few rural newsrooms seem ready or able to cover the story in all its
complexity," Lee writes.
Lee notes that Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog, and University of Kentucky student Justin Richter "recently conducted a content analysis of ACA coverage in Appalachian Kentucky, 'one of the unhealthiest and poorest regions of the country.' They found that newspapers there 'gave their readers limited information' about the law in the two months leading up to the launch of the online insurance exchanges on Oct. 1, and coverage 'was dominated by opinions of public officials, largely those opposed to the law,'” Lee writes. Cross told Lee, “Opinion almost outran news ... and almost one-fourth of the coverage consisted of the opinions of Mitch McConnell,” the state's senior senator and Senate Republican leader, with news sources using his guest columns, or basing stories on his views of the health law.
Lee, who's based in Kansas City, found similar trends in the Midwest, where smaller communities would reveal "a surplus of opinion, often in the form of guest editorials and video news releases from politicians, and a dearth of unbiased, explanatory reporting on the law and its effects," he writes. Mike Shields, managing editor of the nonprofit Kansas Health Institute news service, told Lee, “I would say that health policy issues in general, particularly the ACA … have been very unevenly covered in Kansas.”
Cristina Janney, who has written about the law for Kansas’ McPherson Sentinel, told Lee, “I started with my local sources, went to my local hospital administrators, and then I branched out from there.” Now that the law has fully taken effect she said “it should be easier for a reporter to go out and find someone in their own back yard, so to speak. ... If you’re a reporter in Hays, Kansas, you don’t necessarily need to find an expert in Bethesda, Maryland.”
"To tackle the story from another perspective, Cross notes, a reporter might start with insurance agents," Lee writes. "Still, with an issue as complex and far-reaching as the ACA, it is essential to, in Cross’s words, 'take the time to learn about it.' That means knowing where to look for help and whom to ask." There are plenty of sources in which to do that, including Kaiser Health News, which has published several stories and conducted a series of webinars for journalists on how to cover the act. Plus, many states have health sites, such as Georgia Health News, Health News Florida, Reporting on Health (California), and Cross's Kentucky Health News, that provide stories that can be picked up for free.
The important thing, Cross says, is finding the information somehow and providing it to readers. He told Lee, “I used to be a rural newspaper manager. I know what papers go through. I know how tough it is. I just want them to raise their sights a bit. From time to time, there are really big issues they need to tackle, and if there ever was one, it’s the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” (Read more)
Lee notes that Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog, and University of Kentucky student Justin Richter "recently conducted a content analysis of ACA coverage in Appalachian Kentucky, 'one of the unhealthiest and poorest regions of the country.' They found that newspapers there 'gave their readers limited information' about the law in the two months leading up to the launch of the online insurance exchanges on Oct. 1, and coverage 'was dominated by opinions of public officials, largely those opposed to the law,'” Lee writes. Cross told Lee, “Opinion almost outran news ... and almost one-fourth of the coverage consisted of the opinions of Mitch McConnell,” the state's senior senator and Senate Republican leader, with news sources using his guest columns, or basing stories on his views of the health law.
Lee, who's based in Kansas City, found similar trends in the Midwest, where smaller communities would reveal "a surplus of opinion, often in the form of guest editorials and video news releases from politicians, and a dearth of unbiased, explanatory reporting on the law and its effects," he writes. Mike Shields, managing editor of the nonprofit Kansas Health Institute news service, told Lee, “I would say that health policy issues in general, particularly the ACA … have been very unevenly covered in Kansas.”
Cristina Janney, who has written about the law for Kansas’ McPherson Sentinel, told Lee, “I started with my local sources, went to my local hospital administrators, and then I branched out from there.” Now that the law has fully taken effect she said “it should be easier for a reporter to go out and find someone in their own back yard, so to speak. ... If you’re a reporter in Hays, Kansas, you don’t necessarily need to find an expert in Bethesda, Maryland.”
"To tackle the story from another perspective, Cross notes, a reporter might start with insurance agents," Lee writes. "Still, with an issue as complex and far-reaching as the ACA, it is essential to, in Cross’s words, 'take the time to learn about it.' That means knowing where to look for help and whom to ask." There are plenty of sources in which to do that, including Kaiser Health News, which has published several stories and conducted a series of webinars for journalists on how to cover the act. Plus, many states have health sites, such as Georgia Health News, Health News Florida, Reporting on Health (California), and Cross's Kentucky Health News, that provide stories that can be picked up for free.
The important thing, Cross says, is finding the information somehow and providing it to readers. He told Lee, “I used to be a rural newspaper manager. I know what papers go through. I know how tough it is. I just want them to raise their sights a bit. From time to time, there are really big issues they need to tackle, and if there ever was one, it’s the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” (Read more)
3 comments:
In Missouri, unless you are licensed to sell health insurance, it is illegal to talk about health insurance. Period.
Poppycock. State legislatures can't repeal the First Amendment.
True. And there is now a court case challenging that. But few people other than news reporters have enough guts to challenge the law. The Republican controlled legislature has members who are threatening volunteers who are trying to help those without computers and those simply overwhelmed with the process get insurance.
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