Developing Health Journalism Across the Commonwealth

1. Journalism: Post at least 500 blog items and 50 original stories on Kentucky Health News, to be done by a master’s degree student and/or an experienced health writer. Send to all Kentucky newspapers a weekly update of stories and items posted on KHN in the previous week, with occasional special updates as warranted. 2. Presentation: Publish and regularly update the new website created for Kentucky Health News under previous grants, to give more lasting prominence to major stories and appeal more directly to audiences that are interested in health care, health behavior and health policy. Use social media to promote traffic to the site. This will be handled by the part-time staff assistant for the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. 3. Development: We will continue to seek other funding for Kentucky Health News, which may come in the form of advertising or co-sponsorships. 4. Research: Make periodic examinations of rural newspapers, independent news sites and news clips provided by the Foundation for trends and possible excerption in KHN. Check for local newspapers’ treatment of County Health Rankings and KHN material, building on baseline research completed in previous years, and prepare a research paper for publication, in a peer-reviewed academic journal if the findings warrant it. 5. Consultation: Work with the Foundation to develop story ideas and research topics, include newsworthy Foundation activities in Institute publications, and promote Foundation activities helpful to rural journalists and rural health. 6. Participation: Attend seminars, workshops, conferences and other events related to rural health and report on them if newsworthy; at such events, advocate role of journalism in improving rural health. 7. Training: Conduct one or more workshops for Kentucky reporters and editors, to encourage more and better health coverage. Explore the possibility of a regional workshop on covering the opioid epidemic, with national funding. 8. Extension: Expand online resources via new website; maintain list-serve for reporters covering health issues in Kentucky; make regular trips to visit Kentucky newspapers to discuss and encourage health coverage; work with Family and Consumer Sciences agents and specialists in the Cooperative Extension Service of the UK College of Agriculture to mutually enhance our work in promoting better health.