About

Our audience. We write for people who have the power to make change: Public health leaders, policy makers, and advocates.

Our journalism. We publish features, analysis, investigations, and opinion. We welcome pitches from freelance journalists and opinion writers, including academics. We are editorially independent and nonpartisan.

Expectations. We follow journalistic practices, standards, and ethics, most notably as outlined by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Our stories go through multiple rounds of editing. We fact-check pieces in accordance with the KSJ Fact-Checking Project’s guidelines, with significant features receiving the deeper “magazine model” treatment and our shorter items receiving the “newspaper model,” as outlined in the State of Fact-Checking in Science Journalism.

Disclosures and conflicts. We expect journalists and commentary writers working with us to disclose upfront all potential conflicts of interest related to their subject, financial or otherwise. Writers must disclose gifts greater than $25, coverage of expenses, certain speaking fees, and other favors that could compromise their integrity. Fee waivers at conferences and events may be accepted if routinely granted to members of the media.

Our relationship with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Though editorially independent, we are owned and published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The magazine benefits from the University’s resources, including access to prominent faculty, researchers, and visitors. The Harvard Public Health advisory board, a non-fiduciary body established to advise on editorial and business strategy, includes members with ties to Harvard. Despite these relationships, Harvard Public Health is not expected to give special favor to people or research associated with the Harvard Chan School.