About the News Organization: The Advocate is Louisiana’s largest daily newspaper, serving the cities of Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, and their surrounding regions. The Advocate is committed to providing comprehensive coverage of local news, City Hall, the state house, politics, business, environment and other areas of general interest for our readers, in print and online. With a news and editorial staff of approximately 105 reporters, editors, designers, photographers and digital journalists, The Advocate is the largest daily newspaper in New Orleans and the only print news outlet committed to covering all aspects of the city.
About the Position: This Report for America corps member covers healthcare and public health in south Louisiana, with a focus on the New Orleans metro region. Previously, there was not a single, full-time health reporter working for any newsroom in Louisiana, a state that sits near the bottom on nearly every U.S. public health metric. The story of healthcare is also often the story of poverty in America, and the lack of coverage of health in a poor state like Louisiana means important stories are slipping through the cracks.
This journalist reports to the New Orleans Metro Editor and Managing Editor, and covers daily news related to all aspects of public health, including coverage of hospitals, public health officials and health agencies, academic research, and city, state, and national data. The reporter produces enterprise and feature stories for both print and online related to these and other topics. The Report for America corps member works in concert with experienced journalists that have complementary beats, such as education, business and City Hall, to create stories that have a broader impact.