A seminal moment for science journalism

Dear Readers,

If you're reading this, you have likely received letters from me before, highlighting STAT's coverage of health and medicine and appealing to you to consider becoming a subscriber. I'm here to do so again. This time, though, feels different: We are at a unique moment in our country's history, when an understanding of the issues that STAT covers is more relevant than ever before — to both our personal lives and our professional lives.

Regardless of your own politics, it's clear that the reelection of Donald Trump is set to usher in a period of dramatic change. STAT is positioned better than any other news organization to cover what that will mean when it comes to health and medicine. It is, after all, a fundamental part of our mission to explain these issues — the nuances and implications of regulatory turns, the legislative proposals, the discussions behind closed doors at the White House, on Capitol Hill, or in the boardrooms of the top biopharma companies in the world.

We also know Trump. Our first big story — published on our very first day of business nine years ago this week — was an investigation of his vitamin company and the bad science that was at its foundation.

In the years since, we have continued to aggressively cover the intersection of politics and health care, and have expanded our scrutiny of biotech, pharma, science, health tech, the business of health care, and more.

Recently, we doubled down on our D.C. team: We added a full-time FDA reporter, hired a veteran health policy journalist to oversee our Washington team, and named a chief Washington correspondent. They gave readers expert coverage during the campaign that clearly delineated the health policy differences between Kamala Harris and Trump; since the election, we've led coverage of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement and taken readers inside the worlds of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and of the other contenders likely to play key roles at health agencies in a Trump administration and a GOP-controlled Senate.

We are not a partisan news organization. But we believe in science, accountability, and the pursuit of truth.

I hope you'll consider a subscription to STAT to support our vital, award-winning journalism.

In addition to the discounted offer here, we offer discounted rates for students and nonprofits. You can inquire about those at subscribers@statnews.com.

And if I can't entice you with those offers — and I hope I can! — I hope you'll sign up for our free newsletters, including our twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis, to which we've added special election editions.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'm at rick.berke@statnews.com.