Croakey Health Media is delighted to announce that an eminent health leader, Leanne Wells, is taking on the role of Director, Business Development to help ensure our sustainability and development.
Wells takes over the role from Larissa Andrews who stepped back after two years in the role, to focus on her social impact consultancy, and will remain connected as a member of Croakey Health Media.
Wells has over 30 years’ experience in national health and social policy, program, and service development. She is the former longstanding CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, has served as CEO of national peak and state-based organisations in the primary health sector after a public sector career.
Regular Croakey readers will be familiar with her longstanding contributions to public debate and analysis of health and related policies.
Below, Wells writes about the importance of public interest journalism for health, and explains why she is joining the Croakey team.
Leanne Wells writes:
Working to support informed consumers and communities has been a highlight of my professional career as a former CEO in both the primary care and health consumer affairs sectors.
With training in communications, a career in public policy, leadership roles in primary care and health consumer affairs and as a researcher in consumer leadership, I am thrilled to take up the role of Director, Business Development at Croakey Health Media. It seems a natural progression and way for me to ‘give back’.
I firmly believe that the community increasingly needs high-quality, independent health journalism. Croakey Health Media is essential public infrastructure and I look forward to supporting its mission and growth.
Health systems invest heavily in hospitals, primary care, medicines, technologies and workforce – vital public goods because they enable better health outcomes, support economic and social productivity, and help communities live healthier lives. Yet one of the most important contributors to health policy and debate receives far less attention: public interest journalism.
At a time when confidence in institutions is declining and vested interests increasingly shape the public discourse in healthcare, public interest journalism remains a critical safeguard.
It enables consumers and communities to understand complex issues, hold decision-makers to account, and participate meaningfully in democratic processes. This is an important function when increasing complexity and challenge in health policy warrants scrutiny.
Public interest journalism goes beyond simply reporting events. It investigates, scrutinises and explains matters of public importance, helping communities make sense of issues that affect their daily lives. By providing independent and evidence-based coverage, it strengthens policymaking and debate and ensures that diverse voices are heard.
Health systems are often viewed primarily through the lens of institutions and professional groups often excluding or marginalising the voices of consumers and communities. However, the arrangements that determine who receives care, how services are funded and governed, and what priorities are pursued are shaped by public policy.
There is a growing evidence for, and movement to, engaging lived experience as a legitimate source of insight to shape policy. Yet government consultation processes can exclude many people, particularly those lacking the time, resources or confidence to participate.
Reliable information matters
The complexity of the health system, funding arrangements that are often opaque and policy decisions that often occur far from public view are confounding factors. Public interest journalism helps bridge this gap by informing consumers and communities about decisions that affect them, consultation opportunities open to them, and creating opportunities for public scrutiny and debate among a diverse set of stakeholders.
Health policy does not operate in isolation. Decisions about primary care funding, aged care reform, preventive health investment and hospital services affect communities in tangible ways. Meaningful public debate requires access to reliable information.
Consumers and communities cannot contribute effectively to discussions they do not understand, nor can they hold systems accountable without being informed about how decisions are made. Yet traditional media systems can struggle to cover complex health policy matters that don’t fit simple news narratives and the 24-hour news cycle. Public interest journalism through platforms like Croakey Health Media provides an avenue for deeper engagement.
Because public interest journalism translates complex issues into accessible information, it plays a crucial role in strengthening democratic participation. It enables people to engage with decisions that affect their lives, supports accountability and transparency, and helps communities understand and influence policy processes.
In doing so, it advances public participation in health and supports more inclusive, responsive and effective health systems.
Its importance is particularly evident in an era characterised by misinformation, fragmented media environments and declining trust in institutions. Social media platforms increasingly influence how people access information, often prioritising attention and engagement over accuracy. Algorithm-driven content can amplify misinformation, reinforce existing beliefs and create information silos. Poor information environments create poor policy environments.
In this context, public-interest journalism serves as an essential source of independent, evidence-based information, helping consumers navigate complex issues and participate more effectively in public life.
I encourage readers who value Croakey’s work to reach out if you or your organisation might be interested in engaging with and supporting our collective mission. In this increasingly complex and volatile world, support for independent media like Croakey is now more important than ever.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on public interest journalism and health
Add Comment