The newsletter of the Medical Journalists’ Association Spring 2014 Thyme to enter the Summer Awards Following the positive feedback from all who attended this year’s Winter Awards the MJA will return to BMA House for our Summer Awards, highlight of the MJA year and, weather permitting, we should be able to enjoy the BMA Council’s herb garden and courtyard (see below). Philippa Pigache introduces the awards. ltogether, nine awards will be Government’s controversial, temporarily winning Digital innovation entry. presented on Wednesday, July 9 – ‘paused’ plan to collect and share patient invitations will reach your inbox data. These categories are open to all media: MJA Summer Awards are open to all. As in due course. Categories this year include film or sound broadcasts, print or online, always, they are free to members but, as in AEditor of a health or medical publication depending on the audience the material was earlier awards, we ask a small entry fee and entrants will be judged specifically in produced for. (£20) from non-members. This fee will be relation to the resources at their disposal, waived for anyone who applies to join the so that small publications are not disadvan - Entrants should submit a single item only MJA and pays an upfront subscription before taged by larger titles. We are also offering a for the Story of the year award and for submitting their entry. Full details of how Digital innovation award, where judges will Digital innovation. All other awards are for to pay will be included on the entry form. be looking for well-executed digital a body of work and entrants should submit products, which could include a data-rich up to three pieces of work (or publications) Timing info-graphic linked to a specific article, or via the online site linked to the MJA Launch: the MJA website awards section it could be a website redesign, smart-phone website, or in hard copy to a postal address. (www.mjauk.org/awards) will be loaded app, or creative use of social media. With with the 2014 Awards entry form and both these awards the entry form will Judges are being recruited, and we will instructions on April 25. Closing date: you include room for back-up information share the names once they are signed up. have until Tuesday, May 27 to submit your about goals, launch date, and evidence of Sponsors confirmed so far are, in addition entries. We will then publish shortlisted impact and success. All other entrants will to our principal and long-term sponsor entrants in the Summer MJA News , in June, have the option of writing a short Boehringer Ingelheim, Astellas Pharma, and the awards ceremony will be held on contextual statement to support their GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly and Novo Nordisk, July 9, at BMA House, in London. Put the entries, should they so wish. A third new and thanks to their continued generosity, dates in your diary now, and spread the award will be for journalists outside the MJA will again be offering cheques of word to friends and colleagues. If not London, working for national or regional £750 to all individual winners, and there members, encourage them to join, and publications and/or broadcast outlets in one will be a trophy for the team behind the offer to sponsor them. of the four UK countries. ◆ Three new awards We will also offer awards for Consumer staff journalist of the year; Consumer free - lance journalist; Medical staff journalist (in professional media); Medical freelance jour - nalist (professional media), and Young journalist (29 or under on the closing date of the Awards). The Story of the year will be for the best coverage of care.data – the Contents New Summer Awards page 1 NoticeBoard page 2 Winter Awards winners page 3 Winter Awards pictures pp 4&5 Trials on Trial, preview page 6 FOI meeting, report page 7 The BMA Council’s private courtyard and garden was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It BookEnds page 8 includes a range of medicinal herbs. Weather permitting, the MJA should be able to enjoy it for the presentation of the Summer Awards this year. 1 s i l i t n a s T n a NoticeBoard D : 5 A website he MJ & t ons sorts out A website in Sym ing the MJ 4 ns is tak vice-chair Jane Symo o tender , JA MJA s put out t 3 ly-sponsored M rief she ha l b Commercia e and read the s hand. Go onlin eb-we-hope- e ot potato /news/what-a-w g meetings: a h /www.mjauk.org s what a a and the PR at http:/ and tell u p lationship with big pharm t back to us The MJA’s re -site, and then ge s mja o owns ave-new- t represent them has had its ups and d we . t companies tha l feedback welcome ◆ o e what most regard as a well- you think. Al h over the years. We currently hav P ter Awards balanced arrangement with Summer and Win attached other sponsors which are generous with no strings Speci r with the al discounts for MJA than coming to presentations and sharing a ja members journos. There are now even more good reasons to join and members feel if an individual drug company But how would maintain your membership of the MJA, with the introduc- asked the MJA to run a meeting they had or representing PR tion of new member benefits. Our first offer comes from g a particular drug obviously (against all chosen? Not pushin Vision Express, which is extending discounts of £30 off loring a research area of shared interest the rules) but exp specs and £70 off contact lenses to all members — plus an ing to back it. Such a request recently with generous fund extra voucher for a family member, too. See the website ommittee and divided members right came to the MJA c for details (www.mjauk.org/news/eye-say-what-offer- ught that, observing criteria for down the middle. Some tho mja-members), and keep an eye out fo not look a gift-horse r further deals. transparency and balance, we should not ◆ for additional in the mouth when spare funds could be used t it was not just member benefits like training. Others felt tha JA had to be important to be independent, but that the M Remembering Stephen Pinn: edia seen to be totally independent by the wider m 1951-2014 community. some mem- The offer was refused, but we have recorded d on the MJA bers’ widely divergent views which are poste .org, and join website. Please will all members go to mjauk underneath. Winter Awards 2013 winners the discussion by posting in the comment box your views. We really need to know ◆ The Winter Awards were presented late in January, this time at a new location: BMA House in Tavistock Square. Space was generous, spreading over two rooms, which was just as well since New members more than 120 members, entrants and guests thronged through them, loudly demanding more Carolyn Hughes is c urrently the editor of Drug News, seating. Philippa Pigache reports. a weekly newsletter c overing the latest developments in pharmaceutical R&D. She writes stories covering clinical avid Payne, MJA vice-chair and editor of bmj.com explained; ‘a fascinating primer on genetics, bioinformatics and trial results, drug approvals and l aunches, and drug JA News is sad to record that long-time member chaired the evening and introduced the distinguished models of disease,’ said judge Sile Lane, director of campaigns licensing deals. She also edits a M nd writes general features died suddenly last January, following a compère – Colin Blakemore, professor of with Sense about Science. on aspects of the phar Stephen Pinn ma industry. She has a BSc in 2. He started as a trainee neuroscience and philosophy in the School of Advanced Study, microbiology massive stroke at only 6 and a PhD in mycology from the aily Advertiser and DUniversity of London, professor of neuroscience at the The award for Investigative reporting/scoop (professional 1969, on the Surrey D University of Cardiff, journalist in University of Oxford, and former head of the Medical media) went to Jaimie Kaffash for an article in Pulse, Leaked and over 20 years of experience in er local papers, until 1982, when writing, editin progressed through oth g and abstracting. deputy editor of Research Council (inset left above, with David). A new award report casts doubt over NHS Direct's ‘overall viability' in wake of he became first news editor, then for a Short science film, on a controversial topic, Why are we NHS 111 failings . A new award for a Column or opinion piece, Doctor and Hospital Doctor, and finally editor of en he still using electroconvulsive therapy? , was taken by a Newsnight taken by Rob Galloway – The A&E doctor who says bringing the Hospital Doctor, a position he held until 1991, wh team led by James Clayton (seen above with trophy between elderly back from death can be cruel and pointless – was written running his left to become a highly successful freelance Jim Reed, left, and camera man Justin Web). Judge Dominic under the pseudonym Dr Nick Edwards for the Daily Mail . The own medical writing agency. Byrne, a freelance radio and video producer, said it was a Excellence in journalistic skills award was won by Vivienne ine and in ephen was a fiercely competitive ‘...well-crafted, balanced discussion with good access, fluently Parry with The Enemy Within – 50 years of fighting cancer , a Kirkland qualified in medic In his private life St Faye am, and went y trophies over 40 years told and beautifully shot.’ film produced for Cancer Research UK and Roche.