Cronkite professors came together to discuss the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Reporting Initiative, now a part of Cronkite News professional program, at a “Must-See Monday” event Monday evening.
In this program, Cronkite students are reporting on health disparities in the Southwest region of the country with a specific focus on Latino and Native American communities.
This initiative was made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“Health disparities are differences in health linked to social or economic disadvantages” that are rooted in race and ethnicity, gender, age, disabilities, gender identity, and where someone lives, said Pauline Arrillaga, director and professor or practice in the Southwest Health Reporting Initiative during the event.
The program’s content is shared on broadcast and digital platforms showcasing different mediums to tell stories in English and Spanish.
Cronkite student Ashleigh Stewart explained that the work that she and her peers are doing in the program is far more specific than other reporting in Cronkite News.
“We take it to the next degree, and we focus on what’s happening in those underserved communities and what’s happening within those disparity groups,” Stewart said.
Connecting with minority communities is a major aspect of the program and important in representing new perspectives. Stewart describes that creating relationships within minority communities has been a fairly easy process.
“They want their story to be told, and they understand that we are coming from a perspective of we want to help them and want to share their stories and give them a voice,” Stewart said.
As a reporter, Stewart feels she has an obligation to give people a voice and spread awareness to an audience who may not be familiar with stories surrounding health disparities.
The program is focusing on the Southwest region of the U.S. where border issues are very much part of the conversation.
The Hispanic community has a lack of access to preventive care and lack of health insurance, which causes health barriers within the community, said Julio Cisneros, professor of practice in health news in the Southwest Health Reporting Initiative during the event.
According to a study done in Phoenix, 30% of Hispanics pay more than 50% of their income in rent, leaving them with less money for healthcare, said Cisneros.
We will try to educate our communities to try to prevent prevalent illnesses that minority communities struggle with, and to make a difference, said Cisenos.
By covering this specific region, the program is able to focus in on issues surrounding Latino and Hispanic communities.
As a Canadian moving to the U.S. around the time Trump was elected, Stewart has a unique perspective.
I’ve grown up to realize the importance of having good healthcare, being from Canada we’re very privileged to have those resources that we do. So coming here and seeing that it’s not the same, to me that’s not really okay, and there’s something we can do about it,” Stewart said.
The students are not just focusing on breaking news stories, but rather going beyond surface-level reporting.
“We have a different approach and we take it a step further by gathering more perspectives and stories from inside the community,” said Stewart.
Stewart had the opportunity to work on a story about BRCA gene mutations. She said the story was special to her and impactful.
“I don’t work in journalism because I want something from it, I want other people to gain something from it,” Stewart said.
Students each semester are working on stories like the BRCA gene mutation story to maternal deaths at the Navajo Nation, the opioid crisis among Native Americans, domestic violence of Native American women and farmworker health in Hispanic communities.
“A lot of people don’t know a lot about healthcare, and so to me I just felt an obligation to really bring awareness to everyone who consumes our content,” Stewart said.
Contact the reporter at asalaspo@asu.edu.
