Information Sick: How Journalism's Decline and Misinformation's Rise Are Harming Our Health―and What We Can Do About It
The erosion of local news, the polarization of national media, and the rising flood of misinformation continue to jeopardize public health and trust. In Information Sick, authors and researchers Joanne Kenen, Lymari Morales, and Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD, examine the dire consequences of a fractured information ecosystem, where misinformation spreads unchecked and undermines science, policy, and health.
They trace the decline of traditional news structures and the rise of new challenges, including the dangerous spread of disinformation on social media and the lack of accountability in digital spaces. These shifts have left communities uninformed about critical public health issues―from vaccination campaigns to climate change―while eroding confidence in the institutions meant to protect them. Yet Information Sick also offers a message of resilience and innovation. The authors highlight emerging media efforts that focus on public interest journalism, equitable reporting, and sustainable business models. From nonprofit newsrooms to an information playbook for public health, these examples show how the information ecosystem can be rebuilt to support a healthier society.
Case studies bring these efforts to life, offering concrete solutions for fostering trust, enhancing transparency, and re-establishing the media's role as a cornerstone of public health advocacy. Designed for public health leaders, policymakers, students, advocates, and anybody who wants to know more about the dangerous erosion of trustworthy health news Information Sick equips readers with tools to navigate the modern information landscape and take meaningful steps to counter misinformation and strengthen public health communication.
AUTHORS
Joanne Kenen is the Journalist in Residence at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a position she has held since late 2021. She's also a regular on the KFF Health News "What the Health" podcast. She writes on a variety of public health and health policy topics, and her work has appeared in Politico Magazine, the Washington Post, Stat, Slate, the Atlantic, KFF Health News, Health Affairs and numerous other publications. Earlier, she oversaw health coverage at Politico for nearly a decade, from the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to the pandemic. Kenen covered health for Reuters on Capitol Hill for more than a decade. She wrote about end of life during a Kaiser Family Foundation fellowship in 2007. She was also senior writer for the health team at the nonpartisan New America Foundation from 2008-10. She has been a radio and TV commentator, a frequent speaker and moderator, and a Fellow at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein is the author of the Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times and co-author (with Yngvild Olsen) of The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Dr. Sharfstein has served as the Health Commissioner for Baltimore City, the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and as the Secretary of Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Dr. Sharfstein is an elected fellow of both the National Academy of Medicine and of the National Academy of Public Administration (2013). His awards have included the Jay S. Drotman Memorial Award from the American Public Health Association (1994), Public Official of the Year from Governing Magazine (2008) and the Circle of Commendation Award from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (2013).
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