Developing Health Journalism Across the Commonwealth

We propose the following grant activities: 1. Journalism: Write, edit, post and update as necessary at least 650 blog items and 100 original stories on Kentucky Health News, to be done by the Institute director or an experienced health writer working 25 hours a week. Experiment with podcasts as a device to convey health news and information. 2. Promotion: Create a Twitter account for Kentucky Health News, to expand readership and establish KHN as an essential source for breaking health news in Kentucky. Send to all Kentucky newspapers a weekly update of stories published on KHN in the previous week, with occasional special updates as warranted. Items of national interest will also be published on The Rural Blog, another Institute publication. 3. Presentation: Regularly update the recently created KHN website, and the more recently created Facebook page, with significant stories of urgent or lasting interest. This work will be done by the director, the writer or the part-time staff assistant for the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. 4. Development: We will continue to seek other funding and partnerships for Kentucky Health News, which may come in the form of advertising, sponsorships or graduate-student support. We will seek outside support for a webinar and workshop on covering substance-abuse issues, with a focus on Central Appalachia. 5. Research: Make periodic examinations of rural newspapers and independent news sites in Kentucky, to spot trends in news coverage, find stories for possible excerption in KHN, and continue our research on the publication of health news, with particular attention to the annual County Health Rankings. If the findings warrant, we will prepare a research paper for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. 6. Cooperation: Work with the Foundation to develop story ideas, research topics and other initiatives; include newsworthy Foundation activities in Institute publications and social media, and promote Foundation activities that are beneficial to rural journalists and rural health. 7. Participation: Attend seminars, workshops, conferences and other events related to rural health, and report on them if newsworthy; at such events, advocate the role of rural journalism in improving rural health. 8. Extension: Maintain the list-serve for reporters covering health issues in Kentucky; visit with Kentucky newspaper editors to discuss and encourage health coverage; and work with Family and Consumer Sciences specialists and other units of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in order to mutually enhance our work in promoting better health.