2021 Excellence in Advancing Health Literacy (REAHL) Award
THI Announces Our First Annual Recognizing Excellence in Advancing Health Literacy (REAHL) Awardees
Congratulations to our six Awardees: Allison Aubrey, Sandee LaMotte, Tamar Haspel, Julia Belluz, Jane Brody, and Dr. James Hamblin
True Health Initiative is pleased to announce the launch of its new annual health-oriented media award, the Recognizing Excellence in Advancing Health Literacy (REAHL) Award, and in so doing, recognizing six journalists who focus their efforts on thoughtful, informed reporting in the health and lifestyle medicine space.
THI is committed to reducing the spread of misinformation by supporting the reporting of only accurate, evidence-based research surrounding lifestyle, health, and nutrition. This research is often complex and should be reported in a way that is both accessible and honest — a vital role held by journalists. Understanding how detrimental the circulation of misinformation is to society, THI has created the REAHL Award to honor those journalists who make scientific research easier to understand, rather than using the information to manipulate and propagate confusion.
Explaining the importance of the award, THI Founder and Board President Dr. David Katz stated, “everyone knows the expression ‘knowledge is power.’ These journalists are empowering people to achieve better health with their clarity, consistency, and integrity. I congratulate them for the recognition, but mostly – I thank them for their important contributions to public health.”
The cohort of six journalists recognized as THI’s 2021 REAHL Awardees are:
Tamar Haspel (Washington Post)
Jane Brody (The New York Times), and
Dr. James Hamblin (Yale School of Public Health, former staff writer for The Atlantic)
The selection of the REAHL awardees is based on their journalistic excellence. THI’s Executive Director Jennifer Gannett noted, “the work and professionalism of our 2021 REAHL Awardees provides a much-needed counterbalance to the barrage of health misinformation and shallow reporting that news consumers are often presented with in this day and age.” The REAHL Award celebrates those who are most deserving for their years of hard work, integrity, and honesty– all qualities proving the recipients worthy of recognition by some of the leading experts in the health, nutrition and lifestyle medicine field.
We are so thrilled to launch this award and laud these journalists. We hope you will join us by appreciating excellence in health literacy.