The Second Opinion
The missing villain in the healthcare drama
When it comes to rising costs, what about hospital consolidation? A shout-out to Eduardo Porter for pointing that out
By Trudy Lieberman Jun 19, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Eduardo Porter, the New York Times economics columnist, deserves a shout-out for his column last Wednesday challenging a meme... More
Exchange Watch: The ongoing game of Spin the Rates
This time it’s Ohio, and the result is a phony tale about rising premiums
By Trudy Lieberman Jun 14, 2013 at 11:15 AM
First came the good news from the West Coast about how Obamacare will be lowering premiums for individuals shopping... More
MRSA MRSA MRSA!
Some recent high points on the “superbug” beat
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Jun 13, 2013 at 02:52 PM
This is the first installment in an occasional series about antimicrobial resistance, which is one of the planet's most... More
‘Bitter Pill’—the aftereffects
An interview with Steven Brill about reactions to his groundbreaking Time article about the forces behind the high cost of healthcare
By Trudy Lieberman Jun 11, 2013 at 06:52 AM
Steven Brill, the journalist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Yale Journalism Initiative, shook up the healthcare establishment last March with... More
Holes in a Holy Grail?
A new study raises questions about The Dartmouth Atlas
By Trudy Lieberman Jun 6, 2013 at 04:14 PM
Jordan Rau of Kaiser Health News is carving quite a reputation for himself on the hospital beat, and helping to... More
Exchange Watch: California Dreaming
Low healthcare premiums on the West Coast were trumpeted as a big, good-news Obamacare story. But: “Compared to what?”
By Trudy Lieberman Jun 5, 2013 at 06:51 AM
In mid-May, The Spokesman-Review in Spokane trumpeted some good news for Obamacare, reporting that "Health insurance next year will cover... More
The scoop on workplace wellness
A Laurel to Sharon Begley of Reuters for not burying the lead on workplace health incentives—a RAND study that seriously questions their impact
By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Jun 3, 2013 at 02:52 PM
For her exclusive coverage of a RAND study revealing the lackluster performance of workplace wellness programs--both on employees' health... More
New light on the emergency room
A RAND study finds that the ER is not such a healthcare-spending villain after all
By Trudy Lieberman May 29, 2013 at 02:51 PM
Yes, I know we don't like "study sez" stories; that is unless they trumpet a new cancer drug or a... More
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
Woman’s work - The twisted reality of an Italian freelancer in Syria
Sourcing Trayvon Martin ‘photos’ from stormfront - Not a good idea, Business Insider
Elizabeth Warren, the antidote to CNBC - The senator schools the talking heads on bank regulation
Art Laffer + PR blitz = press failure - The media types up the retail lobby’s propaganda
Reuters’s global warming about-face - A survey shows the newswire ran 50 percent fewer stories on climate change after hiring a “skeptic”
Barack Obama: ‘those old times aren’t coming back’
“It used to be there were local newspapers everywhere. If you wanted to be a journalist, you could really make a good living working for your hometown paper”
The Guardian’s editor opens up on Reddit
Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, answered questions in an Ask Me Anything
The (almost) lost speech of Justice Anthony Kennedy
How his insightful remarks about the Constitution inadvertently make the case for a Supreme Court “media pool”
Fox News sues TVEyes for copyright infringement
Says subscription service sells access to its content without permission nor compensation
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
ACEsTooHigh.com – Reporting on the science, education, and policy surrounding childhood trauma
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
