STAT News journalists to join Boston Globe union

STAT News journalists will join the Boston Globe’s union, reports Katie Robertson of The New York Times.

Robertson reports, “Stat, based in Boston, focuses on science, health and biotech journalism and has close to 40 editorial staff members. It was one of the first outlets to extensively cover the outbreak of the coronavirus in January 2020 and saw a boost in traffic and revenue in the past year as its ambitious coverage gained attention. Helen Branswell, Stat’s infectious-disease reporter, won the 2020 George Polk public service award for her work covering the pandemic.

“Damian Garde, a biotech reporter for Stat, said in an interview that workers hoped union protections would help make Stat an even more attractive and competitive employer.

“‘When people look at the Stat trajectory, they point to my colleague Helen Branswell’s very prescient coverage ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic really becoming what it would become,’ he said. ‘And I think one of the lessons there is: If you invest in people like Helen Branswell, you, too, can have prescient coverage.'”

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