We have big news today here at WUSF Public Media. Health News Florida, a non-profit website with a substantial following, is now part of WUSF.
This means we're also being joined by Health News Florida founder and editor Carol Gentry, who is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
I'm personally very excited to have someone of Carol's caliber coming to work with us at WUSF. It's just part of our commitment to provide in-depth coverage of health, education and other issues that are important to you.
Check out all the details in the press release below:
WUSF Public Media announced today the acquisition of Health News Florida, an online, non-profit daily news service that covers health issues in the state. WUSF will also gain Health News Florida founder and editor Carol Gentry.
“This is such a significant milestone for WUSF Public Media,” said JoAnn Urofsky, general manager. “Health News Florida will position us as a leader across the state when it comes to reporting on healthcare. Carol Gentry’s expertise will add significantly to our current newsroom capacity.”
Gentry founded Health News Florida in December 2006 to fill the growing gap in serious news coverage of state health issues, including health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and the cost and quality of health care. Health News Florida highlights and explains the important coverage from other publications in addition to its own original articles by staff and correspondents.
“Health News Florida offers non-profit journalism in the public interest,” said Gentry. “That is why our partnership with WUSF is such a good fit. Our values match up to those of public broadcasting.”
Becoming a part of WUSF Public Media provides Health News Florida a number of benefits, she said, including expertise in financial management, fund-raising, information technology and much more. In addition, she said, the online news service now can expand into audio and video platforms.
Gentry has three decades of experience covering health finance and policy with an emphasis on consumer education and protection. She covered health and medicine for both the St. Petersburg Times (now known as the Tampa Bay Times) and the Tampa Tribune, as well as for the Wall Street Journal. She is also a former editorial board writer for the Orlando Sentinel, has written for national magazines and was a commentator for the public radio program Marketplace. She is also active in the Association of Health Care Journalists, serving as a judge for its awards each year.
WUSF Public Media will spend the next couple of months integrating archives from its Healthy State Collaborative project with those of Health News Florida. The official launch of the new website is scheduled for November 2012. Until then, Health News Florida will continue to publish at http://www.HealthNewsFlorida.org/
