Hospitalwatchdog.org is offering a virtual summer investigative journalism internship for students interested in developing reporting skills while creating sample work product for a portfolio. The stories will receive a byline and will be published on their website upon completion. This is a no pay internship. They are a relatively new website devoted to reducing medical errors in hospitals. (Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.)
While preparing a story the intern will receive constructive guidance and critiques from our websites’ advisors (healthcare professionals including nurses, physicians and other experts). They are allowing for a period of up to 3 weeks for the completion of a story. They expect that during the internship 3-5 stories would be produced.
The stories will focus on hospitals where medical errors caused deaths. The primary research for our stories starts with investigative reports issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In each of these cases, the hospital has agreed with the findings of the report and has provided a Plan of Correction to prevent a similar error in the future. The intern will conduct additional telephone research by interviewing family members, witnesses and experts. In addition, the reporter will review the pertinent medical literature and related press accounts.
This is a unique opportunity to develop investigative reporting skills on medical topics with guidance from medical professionals.
Responsibilities
- Write an outline/summary of the CMS report. Since the CMS reports use medical and governmental jargon, a straightforward outline/summary is essential for the intern and for those critiquing the story.
- Write a one paragraph pitch for the proposed story. After the pitch is reviewed by their experts, revise the pitch and obtain approval.
- Take the necessary time to fully develop the story with a time frame of 2-3 weeks, with ongoing feedback on drafts from experts.
How to Apply
If interested, submit a resume or CV with links to samples of work to [email protected].