Mental health and substance abuse is such a daunting focus area for health journalists, it can be tricky to know where to find sources, stats, and story leads.
Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute at noon ET on Tuesday, July 21, for a webinar on covering mental health as a public health issue.
The Institute will be joined by Katie O’Connor, a senior staff writer at Psychiatric News, who will share tips and tools for covering mental health-related advocacy and public policy.
She’ll explain the ins and outs of SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), the agency through which the federal government funds mental health and substance use programs — which has been in flux under the current administration.
O’Connor will explore where to find relevant datasets for mental health reporting, and offer advice for covering high-level clinical studies. She’ll also share her best tips for finding expert sources when covering public health.
This program is part of the NPCJI’s monthly webinar series produced through its Public Health Reporting Fellowship. In partnership with the Common Health Coalition, the fellowship offers training and financial support for mid-career journalists to complete reporting projects focused on the intersection of public health policy and health care delivery.
About the speaker
Katie O’Connor is a Senior Staff Writer for Psychiatric News, where she covers mental health policy and research. Previously, she reported on health and social services with the Virginia Mercury and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She has received fellowships and awards for her long-form investigative reporting from the Virginia Press Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.