The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 15 journalists for the new MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program. They represent a wide range of traditional, new, and ethnic media, such as USA Today, Sing Tao Daily, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and TheAtlantic.com.
The fellows will convene during GSA's Annual Scientific Meeting - scheduled for November 19 to 23 in New Orleans - and tap into the conference's 500 presentations and 3,500 expert attendees to develop a major aging-focused story or series. Their proposed projects, to be published early in 2011, will focus on issues such as the struggles of grandparents raising grandchildren, innovations in elder-friendly housing for seniors, challenges for elderly immigrants in the U.S., retirement planning in the recession, seniors' use of new technology, and elders coping with the aftermath of multiple disasters on the Gulf Coast.
These journalists also will report on new research from the meeting and participate in a day-long pre-conference session, where GSA will showcase the latest developments in the field of aging and host discussions with veteran reporters on how to position stories in the current media environment.
"At a time when so much of America seems divided along generational, ethnic, and ideological lines, the stories of aging can bring us together with a new lifelong perspective," said Sandy Close, founder and executive editor of NAM. "Journalists need to tell stories that reveal how today's families depend on each other from their youngest to older members."
The fellowship program - funded by a $75,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation - comes just as the first of the 78 million baby boomers prepare to turn age 65 on January 1, 2011. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation's older population will almost double to 70 million by 2030. Also, the proportion of ethnic elders will double to 40 percent of America's population aged 65 and over by 2050.
Full Article including Selected Journalists List
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