The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and The Canadian Press (CP) have partnered on a new initiative to strengthen health journalism across Canada.
Under this program, the CMA will fund the creation of three reporting positions at CP for a period of three years. These positions will focus on health and health care and tell stories on how this impacts Canadians. CP will have complete autonomy in hiring and assigning the new reporters.
“Fact-based health coverage has never mattered more, and media organizations are increasingly looking to The Canadian Press to fill this demand,” says Malcolm Kirk, CP president. “This initiative will allow us to provide a range of stories across the entire spectrum of health and health care, and how these issues intersect with the lives of Canadians.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated how critical it is that Canadians have access to accurate, well-researched, and trusted health news reporting,” said Dr. Alika Lafontaine, CMA president. “With the rise in health misinformation and disinformation, the CMA believes in supporting strong health journalism in this country and we are thrilled at the opportunity to partner with The Canadian Press to achieve this.”
The CMA recognizes the critical role of journalism in advancing debate and policy decisions. For that reason, it is committed to contributing to the quality and the quantity of health system news and information for all Canadians. We intend to do so by contributing directly to media, developing a network of medical influencers and collaborating on other forms of media storytelling to engage Canadians on rebuilding our health system.