Marla Broadfoot

Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. As vaccination rates decline, the economic consequences will increase, research suggests.

If measles vaccination rates continue to drop just 1% annually for the next five years, the cost to the U.S. could reach $1.5 billion a year, according to a new report from the Yale School of Public Health.

GSA journalist fellow @marlabroadfoot.bsky.social wrote this @sciencenews.bsky.social story titled "Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases" www.sciencenews.org/article/poor... @academic.oup.com

Postpartum Depression Gets a New, Fast-Acting Fix in a Pill Deep emotional distress after birth kills many mothers. A new kind of drug offers better, faster treatment

When I got this assignment, I was shocked to learn that suicide was one of the leading causes of death among new mothers. But there's hope, with the approval of the first pill for postpartum depression. @sciam.bsky.social

Have you registered for #SciWri25? SCONC's in the mix: @reunify.bsky.social on "Reporting Mistakes and Failures in Science" (Oct 23 online) and @shiplives.bsky.social moderating the plenary w/ @michellejewell.bsky.social (Nov 9 in Chicago). Registration closes Oct 22.

sciencewriters2025.o...

As one of the lucky members of that book club, I can say it was amazingly fun to hear you share the backstory of that riveting story. I felt like such a fangirl.

Of genes, chromosomes and oratorios Jenny Graves has spent her life mapping genes and comparing genomes. Now she’s created a musical opus about evolution of life on this planet — bringing the same drive and experimentalism she brought t...

Profile or Q&A > Consumer
🎶 “Of genes, chromosomes and oratorios” | @marlabroadfoot.bsky.social

“Why Are We Funding This?” Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.

My latest for American Scientist Magazine helps give scientists the tools to fight back against politicized charges that our research is silly or pointless- tools that will work whether you’re asked “why are we funding this” from your asshole uncle at Thanksgiving or an asshole US Senator.
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Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.

Join us at 1 pm!

"I've sat on this bench now for 40 years. I've never seen government racial discrimination like this."

Applications are open for CASW'S (@sciencewriting.bsky.social) annual award to an outstanding under-31 science journalist. Deadline June 30. Winner gets $1,000 & expenses to attend ScienceWriters2025. I'm excited to organize judging this year. DM if interested in judging: casw.org/awards-fello...

US Journalist Assistance Network - Committee to Protect Journalists In collaboration with U.S.-based press freedom organizations specializing in digital safety, physical safety, and legal rights, the Committee to Protect Journalists has compiled a list of resources to...

The Journalist Assistance Network — a collaboration between @freedom.press, @pressfreedom.bsky.social, @rcfp.org, @penamerica.bsky.social and IWMF — provides legal and safety resources and providers.

Support the NIH! 🧪

Newmark J-School Announces Inaugural “How to Cover Aging” Awardees - Newmark J-School The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY has selected 10 working journalists from across North America to participate in its first “How to

Excited to be headed to New York today for this new journalism workshop on aging.

Stealing this.

Happening today!

N&O, Charlotte Observer named Pulitzer Prize finalists for Helene coverage The Associated Press and The Washington Post were also finalists in the category.

🧵 The News & Observer + The Charlotte Observer were honored as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for their joint coverage of Hurricane Helene + the aftermath in NC. The Associated Press + The Washington Post were also finalists.

www.newsobserver.com/news/local/a...

Researchers slam HHS report on gender-affirming care for youth Critics say the report, which declines to disclose its authors, contradicts decades of scientific research

Experts share scathing reviews of last week's HHS report on gender-affirming care for youth: "...a rejection of decades of science, evidence, and direct experiences by young people, their doctors, and their families.”

@phiejacobs.bsky.social's story for @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

The President’s entire budget proposal destroys the state as we know it, and not in any kind of liberatory way. Here are the proposed NIH & NSF cuts. There will be no coming back from this.

The Human Genome Project cost taxpayers $3 Billion.

Two decades on, it has generated a staggering return on investment of $1 Trillion, with benefits in medicine, agriculture, energy, the environment, & more.

If you want to boost the economy, funding science is one of the best things you could do.

ScienceWriters2025 to be held in Chicago November 7-9 The National Association of Science Writers and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing are excited to announce that ScienceWriters2025 will take place in Chicago, November 7–9, at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare.

BIG NEWS: #SciWri25 has a new location and dates! Get ready to gather in Chicago Nov 7-9. The virtual portion will take place Oct 22-24. Thank you to everyone for your support during this journey.

Details: www.nasw.org/article...

CPJ Safety Advisory: Traveling to the US - Committee to Protect Journalists A stated policy goal of the Trump administration is to significantly change U.S. travel and immigration policies. Foreign nationals whose countries do not meet U.S. vetting standards may be barred entry. Journalists will not be exempt and should anticipate potential restrictions or questioning when traveling to or from the United States. Under a draft Trump...

RESOURCE ALERT: Our colleagues at @pressfreedom.bsky.social have issued travel advice and detailed checklists for journalists traveling to or from the U.S.

cpj.org/2025/04/cpj-...

North Carolina Supreme Court throws out hundreds of ballots based on flawed data This is a special collaboration between Popular Information and Anderson Alerts, a newsletter about North Carolina politics.

1. The North Carolina Supreme Court just TOSSED 260 BALLOTS in a razor close election for a seat on the same court

The ballots were invalidated based on a claim by the Republican candidate that all of voters were "never residents" of North Carolina

But that claim is false

We have receipts

In contested Supreme Court race, NC Republicans test their ability to overturn an election NC could change the rules after the election is over, and throw out enough ballots to change the outcome. There are several ways that’s unprecedented.

NC could change the rules after the election is over, and throw out enough ballots to change the outcome. There are several ways that’s unprecedented. #ncpol

✍️ A special report by @kyleingram.bsky.social

www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

Fighting censorship of government data: How STAT archived data.cdc.gov Facilitated by Emory Parker As rumors began swirling near the end of January that federal websites would be taken down entirely if they had not yet fully complied with Trump's executive orders, STAT downloaded and archived all available files from data.cdc.gov. We made that archive publicly available shortly after that along with a comprehensive analysis of what datasets had been deleted and which had been censored. This session will cover the methods STAT used to archive this data, analyze changes between snapshots, and automate monitoring and logging of changes using Github actions and the CDC's API. We'll discuss trends STAT identified and also what else media outlets in general can be doing to preserve access to government datasets and other records.

I'll be presenting a session this year at SRCCON on how I backed up data.cdc.gov and tracked changes to it. I also hope for this to be an interactive session where we can collaboratively think about what else we can all be doing to save data.

2025.srccon.org/program/ @opennews.bsky.social

Massive, Unarchivable Datasets of Cancer, Covid, and Alzheimer's Research Could Be Lost Forever Days before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that 10,000 HHS staffers would lose their jobs, a message appeared on NIH research repository sites saying they were "under review."

Petabytes of critical government research that is marked for possible deletion cannot be archived because of technical and legal restrictions, meaning it is very likely to be lost forever:

www.404media.co/nih-archives...

NC Court of Appeals gives over 60,000 challenged voters 15 days to prove eligibility The majority wrote that, even though they have the authority to completely throw out the contested ballots, they decided to instead mandate a cure period for most of the challenged voters.

North Carolina's never-ending Supreme Court dispute is still going on. Now, those whose votes were challenged must prove their eligibility within 15 days. The latest from @kyleingram.bsky.social. #ncpol

NIH’s impact on research, public health, and innovation - SciLine Discover how the NIH shapes global health research funding and its impact on drug development. Join SciLine's briefing for insights from leading experts.

Pleased to share that SciLine will hold a special briefing for journalists on Monday with scientists who can explain what's at stake with the sweeping changes underway at the National Institutes for Health. www.sciline.org/public-healt... @realsciline.bsky.social

Apply by April 1 for the 2025 NASW Diversity Summer Fellowship Making ends meet on an intern’s salary can be hard. Stipends don’t always cover the full costs of temporarily relocating to a new city or making ends meet while working remotely. Sometimes, prioritizing steps to advance your career can mean putting off other income opportunities that would otherwise serve more immediate financial needs.

DUE DATE TODAY April 1: The NASW Diversity Summer Fellowship, providing $3,000 in financial aid for trainees pursuing summer internships. Instructions: www.nasw.org/2025Div... 🧪📰