STAT is looking for a reporter to investigate the commercial determinants of health — that is, the many ways corporate actions contribute to chronic diseases by influencing people to make healthy or unhealthy choices in the products they buy and the behaviors they pursue. These corporate actions might include exploiting research, advertising, lobbying to shape regulations and legislation, leveraging social media, and other tactics to sell products that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, or addiction; they might also include information campaigns that sway public opinion on health policy proposals, as well as workplace and environmental practices.
In 2022, STAT was the first newsroom to create a full-time beat covering commercial determinants of health, and since then we have reported on smoking and vaping; ultra-processed foods, raw milk, and other food safety issues; the rise of the legalized marijuana industry; and limitations of Food and Drug Administration regulation.
What You’ll Do
- Tell smart, compelling stories about how and when commercial interests are shaping people’s health, often for the worse. We want to investigate and understand the stakes, the techniques, the target audience, and the impact on society.
- Dig into hidden connections between corporations and research labs; between corporations and regulators; between corporations and consumers.
- Examine the safety of hyped new products and the impact on consumers’ lives.
- Work with other reporters on a top-notch team producing deep and vital enterprise and investigative reporting on chronic disease.
- Contribute items to STAT newsletters, participate in STAT events, and cover other duties or other spot stories from time to time.
Who You Are
- At least five years of journalism experience, including coverage of health or science issues.
- Proven ability to break news, generate ideas, dive deep, clarify the complex, and write with precision and compassion
- Ability to take initiative and be productive when working alone, and openness to collaborating with others at STAT
- Willingness to try out different story forms
- A willingness to adapt and be audience-focused, with a curious mindset and a commitment to creating an inclusive work environment
We know that there are strong candidates who may not fit precisely into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.
To apply, go here.
Chris RoushChris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.