The Second Opinion
Medicare Uncovered: Who should pay? Who can pay?
A shout-out to Marketwatch for a thorough report that challenges the “skin-in-the-game” theory
By Trudy Lieberman May 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Elizabeth O'Brien's May 15 Marketwatch piece on proposed changes for Medicare is one of the best I have seen since... More
The insanity of hospital pricing
The academics are wrong and the press is right: wildly varying healthcare billing is a very big deal
By Trudy Lieberman May 16, 2013 at 03:08 PM
Last week's release of the wildly varying prices that hospitals charge Medicare may no longer be news du jour, but... More
Untangling Obamacare: What’s behind the rate increases?
To report on rising premiums you need to understand them. A primer for reporters
By Trudy Lieberman May 13, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Rate hikes just keep coming. The latest we've heard about come from Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina, which... More
Keeping it chronic
Local coverage explores ways to keep ‘super-users’ out of the hospital, driving costs down and outcomes up
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont May 2, 2013 at 03:10 PM
The emergency department (ED) is not only the most inappropriate and expensive place to deliver primary healthcare, it's a gateway... More
Untangling Obamacare: Rate shock!?
Understanding the direction of insurance premiums is not easy, let alone explaining it. But…
By Trudy Lieberman May 1, 2013 at 02:28 PM
Covering Obamacare poses big challenges for journalists, from piercing government spin and deciphering GOP rhetoric to unraveling and simplifying... More
Medicare Uncovered: Figuring out the president’s plan
An Associated Press story offers more fog than sunshine
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 16, 2013 at 03:29 PM
You have to give the AP an A for effort, for at least trying to tell its huge audience... More
On Plan B: a Dart for Dr. Manny
A physician toes the party line on emergency contraceptives, and science takes a hit
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Apr 11, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Leave it to Fox News Channel's Dr. Manny (Alvarez) to scare the audience away from open and honest discussion... More
Big Pharma’s army of messengers
A campaign to kill a drug discount
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 9, 2013 at 11:18 AM
As we report in a companion piece here on CJR.org--"Medicare uncovered: What's not on the table"--the president's budget proposal,... More
Medicare Uncovered: What’s not on the table
Negotiating the price of drugs would save billions. Why don’t we talk about it?
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 9, 2013 at 11:02 AM
The leaks from the White House and the circulation of pre-budget talking points on Friday made it clear that... More
Covering an Obamacare clawback: better late than never
The Associated Press discovers an overlooked story
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 5, 2013 at 11:00 AM
What Congress giveth, it can also taketh away. And there's no clearer example than a provision in the Affordable Care... More
Doctors and nurse practitioners: beyond the turf wars
Research shows nurse practitioners are as good as MDs at primary care, where there is a big shortage. But who knows about it?
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Apr 4, 2013 at 03:00 PM
A few days ago, I got an email asking me to sign a petition on the White House website, urging... More
The insurance industry wins a big one
Lobbying effort on Medicare Advantage, mostly uncovered in the press, pays off in DC
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 3, 2013 at 02:50 PM
The lead of Politico's story on the battle over Medicare Advantage cuts didn't pull any punches: "The insurance industry chalked... More
Obamacare and the business angle: innovative coverage
A tip of the hat to Inc. and The New York Times
By Trudy Lieberman Apr 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Inc.'s Adam Bluestein and Julie Weed of The New York Times have come up with an interesting way of covering... More
Medicare Uncovered: the insurers’ latest campaign
The press is AWOL on a PR and lobbying effort—and so is the context
By Trudy Lieberman Mar 29, 2013 at 03:05 PM
Last week Katharine Raley, who heads the Ventura, CA, office of the state's Health Insurance Advocacy and Counseling Program, got... More
The great hospital ratings derby—a second look
A laurel to Kaiser Health News
By Trudy Lieberman Mar 27, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Bravo for Jordan Rau, the author of a piece produced by Kaiser Health News, that at last untangles the... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Public television’s attempts to placate David Koch
One journalist took matters into his own hands when a fellow audience member wouldn’t stop using her smartphone during a theater performance
Purchasing Tumblr is Yahoo’s flashy bet on a shift in social media
The shift from Facebook to more creative social networks
Gay Talese’s outline for ‘Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,’ 1966
Handwritten on a shirt board
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.














