STAT announced Monday the hiring of two new reporters — Nicholas Florko and Margaret Manto.
Florko will pioneer a new beat covering declining trust in science and producing explanatory and accountability journalism that helps readers understand where and why trust is breaking down as well as the consequences of that skepticism.
Manto will join STAT’s team in Washington to report on the Food and Drug Administration, including the agency’s oversight of the biopharma industry.
Florko was an award-winning reporter at STAT before serving for two years as a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covered a wide range of health stories, including lobbying by the candy industry in Washington, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ role in the Make America Healthy Again movement, and the persistent allure of smoking in the modern era.
During his earlier six-year tour at STAT, Florko produced a series of impactful stories, including a searing investigation chronicling the deaths of hundreds of incarcerated people from hepatitis C despite the availability of effective treatments. In his last role at STAT, he was the publication’s first-ever commercial determinants of health reporter — a beat that had him exploring the myriad ways that corporate financial interests are shaping the health of Americans.
As a reporting fellow at NOTUS over the last two years, Manto quickly established a track record of breaking news across the Washington health policy landscape. Among her most notable stories was her award-winning scoop on the shaky foundations of a report issued by the MAHA Commission, led by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Manto has a knack for sussing out compelling, unique stories even on widely covered events — such as her recent exclusive on Katie Miller’s past correspondence with Anthony Fauci.
Manto began her professional life as an MIT-trained biologist, working as a researcher. As a journalist, she has cultivated a diverse network of sources inside the federal government, the pharmaceutical industry, and health advocacy groups.
