William Heisel
CHJ
Seattle, WA, United States
Contact William
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Past articles by William:
Racism’s impact on health and health care goes beyond bad apples
Why we need to distinguish between bad behavior and structural problems in how we’re organized as a society. → Read More
How to start using Hospital Compare to report on hospital performance near you
If you’re like me, you are alarmed by the rates of complications and deaths from sepsis worldwide. As a reporter, where do you start? Hospital Compare is a good place to begin. → Read More
Keep an open mind when reporting on policies to curb sugary drinks
We are firmly in the season of overeating. That means there is no time like the present to talk about one of the big contributors to our dietary dilemma. → Read More
How to start looking into poor workplace conditions at hospitals near you
When our health care workers suffer poor health because of our jobs, the system is weaker for all of us. → Read More
Ignore the conspiracy theories and report on the real causes of jail suicides
I first became interested in jail suicides when I was reporting on the state prison in Montana, where I found that murders were quite uncommon inside the prison — but suicides were not. → Read More
Can smart reporting reduce the number of kidneys currently going to waste?
Nearly one out of every five kidneys donated in the United States ends up in the trash. At the same time, approximately 5,000 people die every year while waiting for a kidney. → Read More
How to start investigating health and safety problems at meat producers near you
As a reporter, you can do your part by both exposing the problems discovered by regulatory bodies and exposing the big gaps in the regulatory safety net. → Read More
What do you do when you find a black mark in your source’s past?
Your job when using someone as a source is to make sure you're letting your audience know everything about that source that is relevant to that story. → Read More
How to start tracing the superbugs in our food back to the farms they come from
The latest outbreak of a drug-resistant bacteria in beef and cheese reminds journalists that the development of antibiotic resistance in animals and humans is now a true health hazard. Here's how to start covering the story near you. → Read More
What’s being done to clean up the toxic environmental mess festering in your coverage area?
There's most likely a Superfund site near you. Here's why all that nasty toxic waste is ripe for sustained investigative reporting, as contributor Bill Heisel explains. → Read More
Just how far would you go to protect a source?
What can you do to make sure you’re not in a position where outing a source is an option? → Read More
Could widespread screening for childhood adversity do more damage than good?
When stories make bold claims about life expectancies chopped by decades or rates of chronic diseases skyrocketing for those with higher scores, they can create heightened anxiety without a real solution. → Read More
Why we should think critically when reporting on childhood adversity
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. → Read More
Snap judgements are natural, but how do you keep an open mind as you report a big health story?
While objectivity might not exist, the key is to check your biases. And re-check them throughout your reporting. → Read More
Use this fascinating tool to track down the source of false health claims
Misinformation about health spreads as rapidly as a pathogen. Here’s how to track its spread using an online tool called Hoaxy. → Read More
Freak out over fungus is better used as fuel for investigative reporting
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. → Read More
A columnist’s parting words of wisdom: Ask more. Learn more. Write less.
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. → Read More
Body Brokers: New reporting shows how money is still being made off the dead
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. → Read More
Free Your Mind: Put people before problems as you write about drugs
The simple act of putting the emphasis on the person and not on their health problem – be it a drug use disorder or something else – will have an impact on how you view the sources of your stories and how the story connects with your audience. → Read More
Free Your Mind: Why is it so hard to change the way we talk about addiction?
Drug use, misuse and addiction are so embedded in our popular culture that we have grown accustomed to seeing, hearing or reading about every permutation of the experience. → Read More