The Health Blogoshpere
: What It Means for Policy Debates and Journalism
Tuesday, July 29, lunch served at 12:30 p.m. and program begins at 1:00 p.m.
Barabara Jordan Conference Center
1330 G Street, NW,
Washington, DC
For those who cannot attend, the event will be webcast live.
On Tuesday, July 29, the Kaiser Family Foundation is sponsoring a discussion about the growing influence of blogs on health news and policy debates. Only in the past few years has the blogosphere become mainstream. In the health policy arena, we now see policymakers, journalists, researchers and interest groups utilizing this new media tool to deliver information to their audiences.
The briefing will highlight how the traditional health policy world has embraced blogging and will feature a keynote address by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, the first cabinet officer to author an official blog, followed by a moderated discussion with a variety of health policy bloggers and a media analyst. Questions to be explored with the panelists include: Why do individuals and organizations blog? How does blogging impact the broader work of an organization? Are there different standards used when blogging versus other writing? Have blogs impacted the news business significantly? What kind of influence are blogs having on political and policy debates?
Welcome and Introduction
Drew Altman, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Kaiser Family Foundation
Keynote Address
The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Panel Discussion
Vicky Rideout (moderator)
Vice President, Kaiser Family Foundation and
Director, Kaiser Forum on Health Journalism and the News Business
Jacob Goldstein, Wall Street Journal
Michael Cannon, Cato Institute
Ezra Klein, American Prospect Magazine
John McDonough, Office of Senator Edward Kennedy and formerly of Health Care for All in Massachusetts
Tom Rosenstiel, Center for Excellence in Journalism
If you plan to attend the event, please send your name and affiliation to rsvp@kff.org
Rakesh Singh
(202) 654-1313
rsingh@kff.org
Tiffany Ford
(202) 347-5270
tford@kff.org