@WePublicHealth: Citizen journalism meets public health
@WePublicHealth tests the use of a rotated curated Twitter account as a new model for citizen journalism with a public health focus.
Every week, a different person – including community members and public health professionals – is asked to tweet-report and investigate public health matters.
Their focus might be local – for example, documenting the cost of fresh foods in remote communities via tweet-photos – national or global (for example, reporting from international conferences and events).
They might use the account to share a photographic or film-based investigation, or to share links to related resources and research, for example. Or they might convene Twitter chats or interviews around particular topics, events or hashtags.
One of the goals is to encourage creative use of Twitter for public interest discussions and investigations.
Information for @WePublicHealth applicants and tweeters
1. The @WePublicHealth project aims to encourage public health investigations and reporting of events and issues that are likely to be of interest or use to Croakey readers. We ask that you consider how you can use the week to provide a service to the account’s followers.
2. If you are interested in a stint on @WePublicHealth, please get in touch with a note about what you’d like to cover. Send a short bio and the topic or event that you would like to cover. The account is not available to those working for Coca-Cola et al.
3. The @WePublicHealth tweets are displayed on the Croakey home page. Please be aware of this, and maintain a respectful, civil tone in your tweets and discussions. Do not tweet anything you would not want to see on Croakey’s home page.
4. This account is not to be used for personal attacks. As the guests have control over the account, they are legally responsible for their tweets. Croakey does not accept responsibility if guest tweeters publish defamatory comments.
@WePublicHealth is inspired by the work of Luke Pearson with @IndigenousX (as previously profiled at Croakey, here and here), and Sarah Stokely who curates @WeMelbourne and @WeTasmania.
@WePublicHealth archives
2019
18 February
In the chair this week are the Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) (@nswcid).
Council for Intellectual Disability is a NSW based disability rights organisation led by people with intellectual disability. For more than 60 years we have been working to ensure a community where all people with intellectual disability are valued. We speak up on the big issues, we provide information and learning opportunities, we empower individuals and communities.
People with intellectual disability experience stark health inequalities including the research showing that up to 50% of deaths of people with intellectual disability are potentially avoidable. This is three times the rate of avoidable deaths for the general population.
CID has been advocating for action on this issue for many years and there have been major advances in NSW with the State government funding intellectual disability health services around the state to provide specialist backup to mainstream services.
Now, it is time for action at a national level. This week we will be launching our campaign for commitments by the major parties. We will be calling for specific actions to improve doctor and nurse training and primary health care for people with intellectual disability.
This is a joint campaign with our national body Inclusion Australia. Collaborators in the campaign are Down Syndrome Australia, the Australian Association of Developmental Disability Medicine and the Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry at UNSW.
11 February
Korina Richmond and Wendy Watson (@BustJunkAds) covered food marketing to children, how food marketing influences children, what’s the link with obesity and cancer, what are the current issues with food marketing regulations (or lack thereof) and what can be done at a state government level, highlighting our current advocacy work calling on the NSW Government to remove junk food advertising from state-owned property.
We work within the Cancer Prevention and Advocacy Division @CCNewSouthWales. With one in three cancers being preventable, we are passionate about helping people lead healthy lifestyles through building knowledge and creating an environment where it’s easy to make healthy choices. Our food policy work includes strategic research and advocacy into food marketing to children.
4 February
Croakey editor Dr Ruth Armstrong – @DrRuthAtLarge – shared stunning views and public health news from a family road trip across national parks in the United States.
28 January
Dr Melissa Stoneham – @DrMelStoneham – director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute of WA gave an overview of critical public health issues and events for 2019.
21 January
19-20 January
Simone Cameron (@simone_cameron_), a member of the Home to Bilo group, and a registered migration agent who has previously worked with asylum seekers and refugees in Biloela, covered a series of rallies held on behalf of a Tamil family and their Australian-born children who are facing deportation. Read more here.
14 January
Kicking off a national conversation on alcohol and health this week – FARE – @FAREAustralia – an independent, not-for-profit organisation. 
7 January
Kicking off 2019 for @WePublicHealth is Associate Professor Lilon Bandler – @DrLilon. As an Associate Professor in the Indigenous Health Education Unit, Sydney Medical School (University of Sydney), Lilon is responsible for the development, integration and implementation of comprehensive Indigenous health learning and teaching resources for the Sydney Medical Program, as well as providing personal and academic support of Indigenous medical students, and increasing the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to medicine. She has broad teaching experience, across the spectrum of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. A/Prof Bandler has worked in general practice for over 20 years, and continues to work part-time in rural, remote and very remote western New South Wales.
