Image
William Heisel
Contributing Editor
I have reported on health for most of my career. My work as an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register exposed problems with the fertility industry, the trade in human body parts and the use of illegal drugs in sports. I helped create a first-of-its-kind report card judging hospitals on a wide array of measures for a story that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. I was one of the lead reporters on a series of stories about lead in candy, a series that also was a finalist for the Pulitzer. For the University of Washington, I work as the Director of Global Services for IHME Client Services. For Reporting On Health, I write about investigative health reporting and occasionally break news on my blog, Antidote. I also was the project editor on the Just One Breath series. You can follow me on Twitter @wheisel.
Articles
Image
.jpg?itok=_ciCasMK)
The zeal with which we turn to childhood adversity as a root cause of so many things borders on the religious, argues contributor Bill Heisel.
Image
While objectivity might not exist, the key is to check your biases. And recheck them throughout your reporting.
Image
Misinformation about health spreads as rapidly as a pathogen. Here’s how to track its spread using an online tool called Hoaxy.
Image
How you conduct yourself in reporting a health investigation — or even a basic health beat story — is now fair game on social media, on talk shows, and everywhere else.
Image
Instead of leaping onto the fearwagon when a bug seems to appear out of nowhere, check the science. Then consider seeking out the real infection hotspots in your community.
Image
In his farewell post for the Antidote blog, veteran health care journalist Bill Heisel urges fellow journalists to adopt a posture of humility in the face of the vast, complex field that is health and health care.
Image
In his first of two final posts for the Antidote blog, longtime contributing editor William Heisel reflects on how journalists can cultivate a more thoughtful relationship with their sources.
Image
![[Photo by Lydia via Flickr.]](https://centerforhealthjournalism.org/sites/default/files/styles/teaser_list_thumbnail/public/title_images/unnamed_138.jpg?itok=-xoi0ZR6)
In the gray market for human body parts, companies and body brokers keep adapting to a changing industry. Here are some key takeaways from a recent Reuters series for reporters seeking to cover the ghoulish business.
Image
The trade in human body parts in still rife with problems, 17 years after the Orange County Register detailed the horrors in "The Body Brokers" series. A new Reuters investigation provides a gruesome update.
Image
_14.jpg?itok=hSaqzUw5)
Psychiatrist Reinaldo de los Heros has had more lives than a cat. For years, he was allowed to continue practicing, even after the death of one of his patients. But recent actions by Maine's medical board suggest his luck may have finally run out.