Minister Presents Excellence in Health Journalism Awards
Paul Smith, of ‘Australian Doctor’ magazine, has been named Health Journalist of the Year 2009.
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28 October 2009
Paul Smith, of ‘Australian Doctor’ magazine, has been named Health Journalist of the Year 2009.
He won the award for "Why aren't they screaming?" – a feature article about how thousands of elderly people spend the final months and weeks of their lives.
Paul is also last year’s winner and has recently returned from his prize trip to the US and China.
“I congratulate Paul on his continued success at Australian Doctor magazine,” Ms Roxon said.
Presenting the Excellence in Health Journalism Awards at the National Press Club, Canberra, today, the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, said that, in terms of health reporting, the first half of the year had been defined by a potential threat to our health, and the second half by opportunity.
The threat had been the outbreak of H1N1 Influenza 09. “In the midst of the outbreak – when there was genuine uncertainty and elevated community concern – the class and professionalism of the majority of journalists shone through,” she said.
‘Opportunity’ had come with the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s release of its final report on the nation’s health system, including more than 120 recommendations on all aspects of the health system.
“The consultation phase with the public on this report has included more than 70 formal consultations around the nation (and many more informal consultations),” Ms Roxon said.
The awards were judged by Ken Randall, President, National Press Club; journalist Malcolm Colless; Laurie Wilson, Treasurer, National Press Club; and Professor John Mattick, Professor of Molecular Biology and Australian Research Council Federation Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland.
For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220
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