Emily Woodruff
Emily Woodruff, a well being care reporter for the New Orleans Instances-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, was acknowledged as one of many winners of AHCJ’s 2021 Awards for Excellence in Well being Care Journalism within the beat reporting and health policy (small) categories at Health Journalism 2022.
Her winning local COVID-19 coverage provided a vivid image of how Louisiana’s hospitals, well being care suppliers and residents had been dealing with the continuing pandemic and different occasions impacting well being in communities, equivalent to hurricanes, the opioid epidemic and different illnesses. In lots of her articles, Woodruff offered readers with a way of connection to individuals featured in her tales.
On this “How I did It,” Woodruff shares her course of for constructing belief with sources and enlivening her tales.
This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
How do you create fascinating scenes in your articles? What are your prime suggestions?
You possibly can in all probability inform within the tales after I was there with somebody as an interplay unfolded or after I acquired to satisfy somebody of their setting. I feel that helps quite a bit. Throughout COVID, we weren’t in a position to do quite a lot of that, and it’s one thing I missed. I feel well being care reporters normally, must spend extra time interviewing somebody for any given story. Typically [health reporters] are interviewing individuals who aren’t used to speaking to the media. For lots of those tales, it’s important to spend a while [with them]. You must point out that you simply perceive the place they’re coming from. So, quite a lot of instances that appears like simply being knowledgeable about no matter concern it’s that they’re dealing with.
How can reporters attempt to put themselves within the footwear of the individuals they interview?
Part of it’s [reporting in the same community] for some time. Tales construct upon tales. It’s simply attending to know your neighborhood and being there. I at all times need somebody who’s in my story, after they’ve learn it, to really feel like: “She understands what it’s wish to stroll down [my] avenue and [feel] that warmth of the solar [as] I stroll right down to get to my bus cease in order that I can go to my medical appointment.” I need them to know that as a result of I used to be there, I perceive, to the extent that I can, what they’re going by means of. I feel it’s caring and being knowledgeable in regards to the neighborhood.
I’m serious about a narrative from a number of years in the past. I had approached this man in a neighborhood backyard. I had simply been assigned to this neighborhood. You understand how you are feeling when a supply doesn’t wish to speak to you? You possibly can inform. They’re like: “Please go away.” I used to be getting that vibe. So I introduced up how the native hospital had a Legionnaires illness outbreak … I gave him that window of, I do know this factor about your neighborhood. … Then he was keen to speak to me.
Final yr, you wrote quite a bit about how COVID is overwhelming hospitals. What are you reporting on now?
I’ve been writing about how circumstances are ticking up once more. I’ve written a bit of about wastewater and masks suggestions coming again however not being mandated. The problem is, individuals have a very totally different perspective towards COVID than they did previously, and I’m attempting to cowl it in a significant method. The numbers get so excessive, they develop into form of meaningless.
So, how do you make these numbers extra related to individuals?
It depends upon the story. If I’ve a few days, I’ll speak to researchers and say: ‘Can you place me in contact with anybody?’ Or, I’ll scour social media and search for individuals to show the story. I’ve been overlaying this for some time, so at this level, I’ve this group of individuals and contacts whom I’ve had conversations with a few sure topic and who talked about one thing else that was attention-grabbing that I filed that away. Now I’m now going again to them. All these little interactions I had popped again up and generally are key to getting readers to see themselves in a narrative.
Let’s return to what you mentioned at first. You mentioned you’ll stroll the road within the scorching solar to the bus cease so you’ll be able to say that you’ve got been there. How did you study that method?
I realized that in journalism college at Columbia. They despatched me out to a neighborhood within the Bronx and advised me to determine a narrative. [I learned] it’s so a lot simpler to write down and perceive what an individual goes by means of in the event you’ve been there and seen them speak about [something]. At a every day newspaper, it’s a luxurious to try this, and I don’t at all times get to take the time to seek out the fitting individual. However I can let you know that when I get on the market and speak to individuals … it’s restorative.
How had been you in a position to diversify your sources as a neighborhood reporter?
I depend on native universities usually to attach me with consultants as a result of they usually have much less restrictive media insurance policies than hospitals. However in the event you’re going by means of tutorial establishments, usually these individuals have admitting privileges … and so they’re in a position to speak to you. Domestically-owned or small companies are simpler than giant companies. It’s tough to get CVS pharmacists to remark, for instance, so I am going to locally-owned pharmacies. Identical factor with funeral properties. You must preserve calling round till you discover somebody who can speak to you. That’s the fact of reporting proper now — giant companies have strict media insurance policies — and so they dominate the well being care panorama.
How do you get individuals to belief you?
One of many issues about being in New Orleans and Louisiana, and it’s a purpose I like being a reporter right here, is that individuals speak. I can present up on somebody’s porch and they’re going to say, “Sure. Are available. Sit down.” With medical tales, generally that’s not at all times the case. That’s the factor that individuals can generally really feel personal about. However I feel persons are usually simply trying to be listened to.
That’s at all times one thing I attempted to do in a narrative, to make individuals really feel like I used to be listening to them and that I acquired it proper. Generally you run into somebody who simply doesn’t wish to speak. You possibly can sense the mistrust. However I feel it’s [about] simply listening and explaining. Ensure that they know who you’re as a journalist. I discovered that simply watching [them] was essentially the most helpful factor. Folks usually don’t at all times know what essentially the most compelling factor is about their story, you understand? So, it’s important to watch and search for the actual moments which are unfolding earlier than you.
