The local hospital often remains a mystery to reporters. Few reporters scrutinize its finances. If the job falls to anyone, it goes not to a specialist but to reporters covering business, politics or features.
Yet a hospital’s finances can be grist for great stories. Hospitals are often among a community’s largest employers. Indeed, many hospitals are far larger than local governments -- in spending and in employees -- yet receive far less media attention.
Karl Stark, health and science editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, outlines the four main types of hospital stories, core concepts and terms, challenges and opportunities, and six key useful documents. You can read it here:
