We are pleased to present a new series focused on how Columbia Journalism School has been training students to become leading health care reporters. Around the globe, the work of health care journalists is vital for keeping the public aware of how the actions of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, health insurers, health care professionals, government agencies, and policymakers can impact our lives and well-being. In this class spotlight, we look at
"Investigating Health Care," which is open to all students in Columbia's
Master of Science Program and satisfies the investigative requirement for students in the Master of Science Program's
Stabile Investigative Specialization. The class is taught by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Charles Ornstein, an adjunct professor at Columbia who is the deputy managing editor at
ProPublica, where he oversees its Local Reporting Network. Professor Ornstein is a past president of the Association of Health Care Journalists.
"Investigating Health Care" teaches Columbia students how to navigate one of journalism's most complicated beats with an investigative reporter's eye. Individual classes focus on hospitals, health professionals, our aging society, controversies in medicine, insurance companies, health reform and the pharmaceutical industry. The class also explores many issues beyond health care, including politics, consumer affairs, finances, the law, ethics and demographics. Along the way, students become skilled in using public records, understanding bureaucratic agencies and querying databases that can be used on practically any beat. In the following video, Professor Ornstein discusses how he has designed the class to train students to become confident at investigating a range of complex subjects:
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