My Grady Story: Stanley Miller
Stanley Miller, a new Grady College student studying journalism, recently attended the Climate and Health Meeting in Atlanta. He shared his experiences in the following summary.
On February 16, 2017, I covered the Climate and Health Meeting hosted by Vice President Al Gore at the Carter Center. The conference was originally planned as a three-day conference to be hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, after its cancellation Vice President Gore decided to host it as a single day conference.
I was absolutely excited to receive a media pass from the office of Vice President Gore’s communications team to cover such a significant and educational event. The Climate and Health Meeting included speakers from institutions such as the American Public Health Association, Harvard Global Health Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vice President Gore also gave a presentation which discussed the effects of climate change on various countries. One of the points he noted is that runoff and flooding resulting from increases in extreme precipitation, hurricane rainfall and storm surge will increasingly contaminate our water sources. He said, “More than two thirds of the water born disease outbreaks in the United States have been immediately preceded by these extreme precipitation events.”
Following his presentation, I met Vice President Gore and relayed to him that I was a journalism student at the University of Georgia.
Shortly before this, I interviewed Lisa Turner Seyfield regarding her involvement with the organization which she co-founded, “Mothers and Others for Clean Air.” Being that I am from the Bahamas, I also interviewed the executive director of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Georges Benjamin during a press briefing about his outlook regarding the effects climate change has on the tourism industry of West Indian countries.
These comments can be found in an article I wrote on the WUOG radio website.
Midway through the conference, Vice President Gore introduced and thanked President Jimmy Carter who also addressed the crowd and reflected on the public health work of the Carter Center.
Overall, attending this event further sparked my interest in political and health journalism. The opportunity to gain experience through speaking with and covering this heavily publicized event alongside journalists from organizations such as CNN, The Washington Post and The Hill gave me a valuable insight into this field.
Date: March 10, 2017Author: Stanley Miller, stanleymiller789@gmail.com
Contact: Stanley Miller, stanleymiller789@gmail.com
