15 Top Journalists Earn Aging-Focused Reporting Fellowships
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Journalists Network on Generations are welcoming 15 distinguished reporters for the next cohort of the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, now in its 14th year.
They represent a wide range of general audience, ethnic, and community media outlets, including local and national publications. This year’s group brings the program’s total number of participating reporters to 232. The new fellows were chosen — by a panel of gerontological and editorial professionals — based on their proposals for an in-depth aging-focused story or series.
These projects, to be produced in 2024, span such concerns as health-insurance challenges for older adults with long-COVID, the environmental impact of retirement, heart health for African Americans, and the high level of malnutrition among those ages 85+.
The program is supported by funding from Silver Century Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, Archstone Foundation, and NIHCM Foundation, and a donation from John Migliaccio, PhD, MEd, FGSA.
The participating journalists will convene during the GSA 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting — scheduled for November 8 to 12 in Tampa, Florida — where they will have access to the latest aging research and approximately 4,000 expert attendees. The fellowship will showcase research highlights from the meeting and other sources, and host discussions with veteran journalists on how to position aging stories in the current media environment.
“By connecting them with top experts and the most up-to-date research in the field, our program provides its participants with a first-rate educational overview of trends and new developments,” said GSA Director of Communications Todd Kluss. “We congratulate the new fellows and are proud to support them and their outlets in their commitment to serving communities with fact-based, topical stories on the experiences of people as we age.”
Kluss co-directs the program together with independent age-beat journalist Liz Seegert, who serves as program coordinator of the fellowship’s media partner, the Journalists Network on Generations.
“I’m excited to work with this year’s outstanding group of fellows to help them pursue multiple angles on what it means to grow older in the United States,” Seegert said. “The fellowship will connect them to sources and data that can enrich their coverage and ultimately develop richer, more nuanced stories which comprise the many different aspects of aging.”
Continuing fellowship grants also are being provided to allow several previous fellows to participate in the program and GSA’s meeting. A continuously updated list of more than 800 stories generated by the program’s alumni is available on GSA’s website.
The new fellows:
Kate Ashford (NerdWallet)
Project: A series on “The Implications of Long COVID in Older Adults.”
Deborah Bailey (Afro American Newspapers)
Project: A series on the impact of diabetes on Black Americans in the post-pandemic era, “Black Maturity, Diabetes and American Policy — The Perilous Intersection.”
Katie Scarlett Brandt (Chicago Health Magazine/Caregiving Magazine)
Project: A series on aging and homelessness.
Clara Germani (Christian Science Monitor)
Project: “What really is ‘old,’ anyway?”: How an aging America is going to change American culture.
Cleo Krejci (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Project: Holes in care and worker training at Wisconsin Community Based Residential Facilities (assisted living).
Meera Kymal (India Currents)
Project: “Language Barriers Limit Health Care Access for South Asian Seniors.”
Rose Lundy (The Maine Monitor)
Project: The impact of limited long-term care at a rural community facility.
Christina Nooney (KALW Public Radio)
Project: “Why Elders 85+ Lead California Deaths from Malnutrition.”
Marga Parés Arroyo (El Nuevo Día)
Project: Series on “Abandonment of Elders in Hospitals” in Puerto Rico.
Anjana Rajbhandary (NepYork)
Project: “The Vital Role of Personal Care,” on challenges for older Nepali immigrants in the U.S.
Clavel Rangel (El Tiempo Latino)
Project: A series on “Navigating Automation: The Future of Latino Adult Workers in a Digital Age.”
Kristen Senz (Today’s Caregiver Magazine)
Project: “Health Equity Through Innovation: The Promise of Longevity-Focused Tech.”
Cassandra Spratling (Detroit Free Press)
Project: A two-part series on “The Heart-Health of Older African Americans: Their Vulnerability and What Research Can Tell Us.”
John F. Wasik (Forbes Magazine)
Project: A series on “Green Golden Years: The Environmental Impact of Retirement.”
Macy Yang (Hmong Daily News)
Project: “Hmong Elders Face Invisibility, Depression, and Social Isolation.”
###
The Gerontological Society of America is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,500+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society.
The Journalists Network on Generations, founded in 1993, is based in San Francisco. It links to over 1,000 journalists, authors, and producers on issues in aging, and publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org).