Reporting that Doesn’t Exist Today on Issues You Care Deeply About

Problem:

The economic downturn now referred to as the “great recession” has exposed  a  glaring chink in the way the mainstream media make money.

Plummeting advertising sales triggered massive layoffs over the past two years.   Today, 46,599 career journalists are out of work and skeleton staffs left behind have all but abandoned in-depth reporting on medical and health issues.

What does this mean to you?

• Despite a national push for Health Care Reform, Texas media tell very few stories that adequately explain how reform would potentially impact citizens, businesses, local and state government. The result: people’s understanding of the issue is based on paid political campaigns and the opinions of pundits instead of factual reporting about how the proposed reform or alternatives might realistically impact their lives and the effectiveness of their medical community.

• Texas leads the nation in the percentage of its population without health insurance, yet reporters fail to describe the ongoing costs taxpayers and the medical community incur when more than one-out-of four Texans are unable to pay for their medical care.

• Have you ever seen a local television, radio or print news story examine whether the Medicare payment system effectively reimburses doctors creating better care and availability for citizens who depend on it?

• Health insurance costs increase every year and the blame lands squarely on the cost of medical care, but how much of every dollar paid to insurance companies actually goes to health care and how much is spent on insurance company administration and salaries? Reporters should hold insurance companies accountable, but rarely do so.

• If you, a family member or friend has ever been impacted by a devastating but under-reported medical condition you may already know how difficult it is to bring attention to the issue to raise awareness, raise funds for a cure,  and create a wider support network.

Solution:

A new independent journalism service will provide in-depth reporting on Texas Medical and Health issues to paying subscribers and mainstream media news outlets with an especially strong focus on the effects of health care reform, insurance company practices, and under-reported health issues.

We’ll assign some of the state’s best television and print reporters to investigate and tell these stories . It will be objective, credible and professional, and as a result, our stories will often get run by a network of mainstream television, radio and print media partners. Because the news service exists, more Texans will be better informed about issues you care most about.

STORIES: At launch, a dozen highly experienced professional reporters will focus exclusively on Texas Medical and Health issues, like:

• Health Care Reform, including in-depth analysis of the current proposals.
• Health Insurance Industry Practices and Regulation.
• Federal Medicare Payment System.
• Stories about the difficulties or achievements of specific Texas Doctors & Practices.
• We will track and consistently investigate and report on legislation that impacts the Medical and Health community.
• We will bring under-reported health stories related to public safety and awareness, lesser known illnesses, and quality of care issues to light.

PRESENTATION: We envision subscribers will ultimately view our Internet newscasts in high definition streaming video. The stories (video and text) will also be available through email, RSS and mobile platforms, including IPhone and Blackberry.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Subscriber support will allow us to give mainstream media partners (television, radio, and print) frequent updates on medical stories throughout Texas bringing critical exposure to many important and complicated issues that are currently under-reported or not covered at all .

Subscriber Benefits:

• This beat will exist because of subscribers. All of the news produced will be due to the support of a base of subscribers who are interested in medical issues. Your subscriptions guarantee the information exists for consumption by the medical community and the general public.
• One Stop Shopping for Medical and Health News: Subscribers will get access to all stories produced, both current and historical. They’ll get updates and breaking news reports as they occur.
• Rate the Insurance Company Service: Are some insurance companies ideal to work with while others are a nightmare? We are developing exclusive forums for doctors and for patients which would allow both to share stories on the best and worst behavior by insurance companies. We’ll collect information on how long it takes to get an appointment and how many specialists insurance companies make available within their plans. The results can be used by doctors, patients and employers to evaluate insurance companies, and current insurance industry regulations, and to decide which changes in legislation should be supported.
• Rate the Pharmacy: This forum allows doctors and patients to compare prices, hours and helpfulness between Texas pharmacies.
• Conversation Forums: Health Care Workers and Patients will be invited to converse about issues identified in stories. We are developing a conversation visualization tool, which will graphically depict the group’s consensus on important issues. The goal is to give the community political leverage with policymakers by making it crystal clear where the community stands on medical issues.

So How Do We Create the Medical News Beat?

The Mainstream Media Can’t Pay:

It is a difficult time to launch a new media company. Because of the sharp declines in advertising revenue causing journalism job cuts, mainstream media can’t afford to foot the bill for intensive coverage within the medical and health beat.

Investors Won’t Pay:

Because of the recession, investors are wary about providing necessary capital to launch even the newest and most innovative concepts.

Be the Change… Those Who Care Most Change the World:

We believe the funding solution lies in the beneficiaries of this news team.

Our product is aimed at the medical profession and others who are passionate about health issues. But, it’s clear mass media exposure of our in depth stories will benefit every Texan in a meaningful way.

What we’re asking people within the medical community and other Texans interested in or concerned about health issues is to take the bold step of subscribing to our in depth news service in advance of the product’s launch to ensure that the highest possible quality of reporting exists.  We will, however, collect absolutely NO payment until we reach a still-to-be-determined dollar goal.  Once that goal is reached, we will collect payment and launch within four weeks.

How to Subscribe: You can subscribe individually or entire practices or organizations will be able to subscribe at a discounted rate that grants membership to every health care worker within their practice.  We will soon announce how you can subscribe.

Subscriber Rate: We are working to develop the rate.