Introducing Our New Podcast, Data Book

I heard old-timers repeat a command so often it began to sound like a cliché, or perhaps a prayer: Don’t tell me the story. Show me the story. For a young journalist, that idea posed a challenge. It was, after all, easier to simply tell someone what happened. To show meant to stumble across a cold college campus and raise a digital recorder to a stranger’s face, asking them to recall the color of the walls, the reactions of their peers, how the plot unfolded. Showing required me to see the sweat form on the brow of the person who lost her home during the hurricane, to tail the lovers who lost their apartment to heroin addiction, to witness the launch of the start-up company. Telling, meanwhile, warranted only a recap.

My mentors had the right idea. Now, I, too, pressure myself and my writers to show, not tell. The imagery and the human element make editing more difficult, but they form a better article—or a better podcast.

This week, we at Healthcare Analytics News™ are launching our first-ever podcast, Data Book, and its foundation is a commitment to strong storytelling. Every week, for 20 to 30 minutes, join me and co-host Tom Castles for a journey that plucks you from the car or cubicle and brings you to the most promising and treacherous frontiers in health tech. Data Book tells great stories, with great insights, from the realm of healthcare big data, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Our first episode, “Who Is the Dark Overlord?,” details a shadowy hacker collective that has hammered healthcare organizations of every size and specialty, in many areas of the world. But what is it about these black hats that has earned them such notoriety? And what does their existence mean for healthcare, an industry feverishly searching for cybersecurity solutions? We examine these questions by looking at the day the Dark Overlord clawed its way to prominence, and through a conversation with writer Gautham Thomas. Afterward, Tom and I discuss key takeaways for healthcare leaders and everyone else, in a section we call The Insight.

Data Book’s first chapter gets published at 8 a.m. ET this Friday, March 30. From there, expect a new episode around the same time each week.

In health tech, it’s often difficult to tell the story behind the data, the venture capital, the data breach, the algorithm. Maybe that’s why so few media outlets pursue ambitious, character-driven reporting in this space. But healthcare and technology are inherently linked to humans and tension, ingredients that are essential to the recipe for any great story. Tom and I know the industry holds many gripping tales. We’re busy unearthing them, and Data Book is where we’ll share them.

Of course, this would not be a Healthcare Analytics News™ podcast if it were to lack practical, actionable advice and big-picture views. Data Book is certainly home to bright ideas, and they will shine through, in expert commentary and the stories themselves.

So, on Friday morning, check back here, visit our homepage or social media profiles, or open your favorite podcast app to dive into Data Book. We promise to show you great stories and great ideas.

Read our feature on the Dark Overlord.

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