Four Brookdale experts took part in the inaugural “How to Report on Aging” workshop, hosted by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in June. The two-day event brought together journalists from national outlets and researchers working to change how aging is covered in the media.
Dr. Ruth Finkelstein, Brookdale’s executive director, spoke about the “Cumulative and Unequal Impacts of Aging.” She discussed how income, race, and other life circumstances shape people’s experience of aging.
Dr. Cicely Johnson, a medical sociologist and researcher at Brookdale, gave a talk on “Healthspan Disparities.” She focused on how health outcomes vary depending on where people live, their access to care, and structural racism.
Dr. Mark Brennan-Ing, Brookdale’s director of research and evaluation, spoke about “How Ageism Affects Mental and Physical Health.” They focused on the impact of stigma and discrimination on older LGBTQ+ adults and people aging with HIV.
Brookdale’s director of strategic policy initiatives, christian gonzález-rivera, gave a presentation on “Aging in Prison.” Drawing on Brookdale’s research and advocacy work alongside community-based organizations, he described the challenges older people face both in prison and after release.
The workshop attendees were midcareer journalists from outlets across the country, including the New York Times, ProPublica, and CalMatters. The event is part of a broader effort by the Newmark J-School to train reporters to cover aging in ways that are more accurate, more inclusive, and more grounded in data.
