New European network launched for health journalists

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The Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) has launched a new online network aimed at European health journalists.

The Covering Europe section of its website has been set up to encourage European writers to share links, queries and articles. The pages will form the basis of a new professional network from the association, says a release from the AHCJ.

The new initiative is a move to reach more health care journalists outside of the US, where the AHCJ's membership is predominantly based, and will include an email discussion list for European journalists and links directory.

The European network will be co-ordinated by British journalist John Lister , who works as a senior lecturer in health journalism at Coventry University.

"This is an exciting development. Whether it be new medicines and scientific discoveries, the swine flu saga, 'reforms' like the White Paper proposals in Britain, spending cuts or privatisation in health care, health tourism, or the up-coming OECD summit of health ministers in Paris, we know health journalists in Europe face real problems in covering complex issues, many of them without adequate specialist training," says Lister in the release.

"But we also know that many European health journalists have developed expertise, experience and valuable contacts that they are willing to share with others, and we can all learn more about how our own issues at national level fit into a rapidly changing European context."