Veidlapa Nr. M-3 (8)
Study Course Description

Health Journalism

Main Study Course Information

Course Code
KSK_229
Branch of Science
Library Science; Media and communications
ECTS
3.00
Target Audience
Information and Communication Science
LQF
Level 7
Study Type And Form
Full-Time

Study Course Implementer

Course Supervisor
Structure Unit Manager
Structural Unit
-
Contacts

Riga, Dzirciema Street 16, kfko@rsu.lv, +371 67409183

About Study Course

Objective

Give graduate students understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of health journalism, analysing different types of media practices, professional and ethical issues in health journalism in media of Latvia, EU and other countries.

Preliminary Knowledge

The course “Communication Theories, Principles, Ethics and Rights” mastered.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

1.Students acquire knowledge of: • Health media system and health journalism. • Assessment criteria for health journalism. • Ethics and legal aspects of health journalism. • Sources of health journalism and criteria for their selection.

Skills

1.• Recognise the manifestations of health journalism. • Understand professional approaches in health journalism. • Use knowledge of health journalism in improving its quality. • Apply knowledge to improve the quality of health journalism. • Analyse health journalism practices.

Competences

1.Recognise, organise, prepare and evaluate health journalism by assessing its professional quality, ethics and legal issues.

Assessment

Individual work

Title
% from total grade
Grade
1.

Individual work

-
-
Students have to independently prepare for classes by reading the compulsory literature for each topic and by selecting at least one text from the recommended additional literature. Preparation of the test assignment.

Examination

Title
% from total grade
Grade
1.

Examination

-
-
Knowledge of the basic issues of the topics covered, the ability to apply the knowledge in planning, managing and analysing practical projects (assessed on a 10-point grading scale).

Study Course Theme Plan

FULL-TIME
Part 1
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Basics of health journalism: approaches and practices. Quality and fake information in health journalism.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Health journalism in professional media and social media in Latvia.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Analysis of health journalism examples in the EU and other countries of the world.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Legal basis for health journalism.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Information collection methods in health journalism and issues of professional ethics.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Health journalism sources, their structure, responsibilities and rights.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Issues of professional relationship between journalists and doctors. Doctors as sources of information and authors.
  1. Lecture

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Current topics in health journalism; analysis of health journalism examples.
  1. Class/Seminar

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Preparing and presenting health journalism material (an article, audio or video story).
  1. Class/Seminar

Modality
Location
Contact hours
On site
Auditorium
2

Topics

Preparing and presenting health journalism material (an article, audio or video story).
Total ECTS (Creditpoints):
3.00
Contact hours:
20 Academic Hours
Final Examination:
Exam (Written)

Bibliography

Required Reading

1.

Statement of Principles for Health Care Journalists Gary Schwitzer, http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020084&type=printable

2.

Frost Chris, Journalism Ethics and Regulation, NewYork: Routledge, 2016.

3.

Robert G. Picard and Minhee Yeo, Medical and Health News and Information inthe UK Media: Current State of Knowledge. State of Public News and Information in the UK on Health and Health Care Research Project, Reuters Institute of Journalism Study, https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Media%20and%20UK%20Health_0.pdf Views of health journalists, industry employees and news consumers about disclosure and regulation of industry-journalist relationships: an empirical ethical study. J Med Ethics. 2015 Mar;41(3):252-7. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2013-101790. Epub 2014 Mar 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24603036

4.

Views of health journalists, industry employees and news consumers about disclosure and regulation of industry-journalist relationships: an empirical ethical study, Journals of Medical Ethics, http://jme.bmj.com/content/41/3/252.alerts

5.

Big Tobacco and the Hound of Hell. Tracking Cigarette Companies’ Strategy for Developing Countries. By Ricardo Sandoval, Center of Health Journalism, https://www.centerforhealthjournalism.org/resources/lessons/big-tobacco-and-hound-hell

6.

Media law, ethics and regulation, http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zyt282p/revision/2

7.

Media coverage of health issues and how to work more effectively with journalists: a qualitative study, Julie Leask, Claire Hooker and Catherine King, BMC Public Health201010:535, https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-10-535

8.

Caulfield T (2004) The commercialisation of medical and scientific reporting. PLoS Med 1: e38.

Additional Reading

1.

Finding and Evaluating Online Resources on Health Issues, https://nccih.nih.gov/health/webresources

2.

'Of All the Categories of Fake News, Health News Is the Worst', The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/of-all-the-categories-of-fake-news-health-news-is-the-worst/531540/

3.

NHS looks into Labour campaign group's 'fake news' poster claiming health service will cost £4,500 a year in insurance premiums from 2018, The Telegraph

5.

The Fake Freedom of American Health Care, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/opinion/the-fake-freedom-of-american-health-care.html

Other Information Sources

1.

Doctus, Bonus Medicus, Latvijas Ārsts, Veselība, Ievas Veselība, rutks.lv, la.lv