2007 Anson Jones, MD, Media Awards Winners, Presentations

This marks the 50th anniversary of TMA's Anson Jones, MD, Awards for excellence in health reporting by news media. TMA physicians presented the first award in 1957 to Blair Justice, a Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter.

The 2007 Anson Jones, MD, Awards competition attracted 77 total entries. By comparison, the 2006 competition drew 83 entries. The new physician excellence in reporting category drew five entries from three physicians. The balance of print versus broadcast submissions was nearly even, with 34 print entries and 38 broadcast. Winners spanned Texas, from the panhandle to the coast, from the Rio Grande Valley to the northeast.

The following TMA Council on Health Promotion physician members judged this year's entries: chair Art L. Klawitter, MD; Dianna Mosley Burns-Banks, MD; Samuel (Tim) Coleridge, DO; Edward A. Dominguez, MD; James Eskew, MD; Melissa Garretson, MD; and Martin G. Guerrero, MD. Also judging were Council on Health Promotion, TMA Alliance, or TMA Foundation members Terri Andrews; W. Douglas Bailey; Pat Hyer; Catherine Jones; and Susan Todd; and medical students Kristin L. Killion and Phuong-Khanh Jessica Nguyen-Trong. Rounding out the judging teams were 14 former journalists, including one past Anson Jones, MD, Award winner.

The group awarded eight winners, seven citations of merit, and four honorable mentions. Winners receive $1,000 and a plaque; citation of merit recipients receive $250 and a framed certificate; and honorable mention winners receive a framed certificate. Additionally, each winning newspaper and station receives a copy of the award to display in public areas of their building to promote TMA and the award.

The Anson Jones, MD, Awards consist of nine categories. TMA unveiled a new category this year, "Physician excellence in reporting," for physicians who regularly report for a print or broadcast news outlet. It joins existing categories: "Publications with circulation of 100,000 or more"; "Publications with circulation of less than 100,000"; and "In-depth print" for longer works and series; "Large market television" for broadcasters from Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, or Austin; "Small market television" for TV broadcasters from the rest of the state; "In-depth television" for longer stories or series; "Large market radio" for stations in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, or Austin; and "Small market radio" for stations in smaller cities and towns. TMA received no entries in the Small market radio category.

Several winning entries featured  important TMA issues, including the effects of Medicare cuts, emergency room overcrowding as a result of lack of patients lacking insurance and medical homes, and threats to family medicine physicians' practices and the impact on their patients.

The 2007 Anson Jones, MD, Awards winners are:

• Jason Whitely and Chris Desmond, KHOU-TV, Houston, for "Their daughter the donor"
• Krystle Kaliszewski, KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, for "Superbug scare"
• Seema Mathur, KEYE-TV, Austin, for "ER: In critical condition"
• WBAP News Staff, WBAP Radio, Arlington, for "Parkland Hospital: Paupers to presidents"
• Bob Moos, The Dallas Morning News , Dallas, for "Medicare: The doctor is out"
• Melissa McEver, Valley Morning Star , Harlingen, for "Jumping CHIP"
• Carolyn Poirot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram , Fort Worth, for "A shot against cancer"
• Barbara Huggins, MD, UT Health Center Tyler / KLTV-TV, Tyler, (Physician excellence in reporting)

The 2007 citations of merit are awarded to:

• Janet St. James & News 8 Staff, WFAA-TV, Dallas, for "Where are the family doctors?"
• Karin McCay, John Berry, Samuel Ortega, and Jeff Ramazani, KCBD-TV, Lubbock, for "Robotic heart surgery"
• Patricia Gras, KUHT-TV, Houston, for "The art of sleep"
• Catherine Cuellar, KERA radio, Dallas, for "Central Dallas Ministries offers unique treatment for diabetics"
• Sue Goetinck Ambrose, The Dallas Morning News , Dallas, for "Diets of rodents may have tainted decades of research"
• Michael Hines, Times Record News , Wichita Falls, for "Heart 2 heart"
• Robert T. Garrett, The Dallas Morning News , Dallas, for "Privatization of state health care enrollment"

The 2007 honorable mentions are awarded to:

• Kelley Barr, KCEN-TV, Temple, for "Pacemaker for your bladder"
• Karin McCay, John Berry, Ruben Villarreal, and Jeff Ramazani, KCBD-TV, Lubbock, for "IBC-an email helps us see"
• Alison Beshur, Kerrville Daily Times , Kerrville, for "Doctor: Medicare payments not enough"
• Hina Alam and Jessica Savage, The Lufkin Daily News , Lufkin, for "ER- State of emergency"

The Council on Health Promotion oversaw the award presentations at the winners' newspapers and stations. Physician leaders made the presentations as a surprise to winners in newsrooms, in front of their managers and peers. These brief ceremonies gave TMA and county medical society physician leaders the opportunity to meet with the media honorees in a positive situation. The goal is for this positive connection to encourage reporters to cover more medical news stories. Winners, managers, and other staff often thanked TMA for making these unique presentations. Some media outlets also chose to "cover" the awards as news stories, giving TMA positive news exposure as trusted leaders in medicine honoring their reporters.

Physician presenters included Council on Health Promotion members and other TMA and county medical society physician leaders. From the CHP, they were: chair Art L. Klawitter, MD; Edward A. Dominguez, MD; James Eskew, MD; Melissa Garretson, MD; and Martin G. Guerrero, MD. Other physician leaders presenting included Carlos Cardenas, MD; David C. Fleeger, MD; Catherine Ronaghan, MD; Leslie H. Secrest, MD; Susan Strate, MD; and J. Max Word, MD. County medical society staff attended in some cities as well. TMA staff attended nearly all of the presentations. The Nueces County Medical Society hosted one honoree at its meeting, as John T. Dugan II, MD presented.

Physician members and county medical society representatives are encouraged to work with news media whenever possible to help shape coverage of health care issues and to remind reporters to enter the TMA's Anson Jones, MD, Awards competition.

TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2007