PressEthic

Way back in September, I posted an entry about the lessons good science reporting can teach.

This week, Time magazine puts science on the cover again with coverage of the people who, from the farthest corners of the planet, are fighting diseases like AIDS, malaria and the oft-discussed bird flu.

Just as impressive as the list of people in the spotlight of this Global Health 2005 coverage is the fact that Time is hosting a Global Health Summit in New York City this week and journalists are among the people invited to discuss medical issues from around the world. When all we’ve read about lately is the trouble with the media, it’s nice to hear when journalists are contributing something positive (certainly, we have examples of this every day that go unnoticed).

Furthermore, it’s progressive of Time to put Bono’s thoughts on the inside back cover. Sure, Bono sells magazines and gets tons of attention, but that’s what everyone is banking on when he gets in front of cameras and world leaders to spread his message. Based on the issue, it seems clear that Time takes him seriously, thinks there’s something important to what he says (there is) and wanted to genuinely give him a place to bolster the cause.