The EU Health Prize for Journalists an exceptionally bad idea.

Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou has in February as part of the "Europe for patients" campaign announced a prize for journalists. To win certain criteria should to be meet: “The jury will judge the articles in relation to the objectives of promoting Europe for Patients campaign. Therefore, preference will be given to those articles that particularly raise awareness of the issues of Europe for patients' campaign.”. So now journalists can write articles that supports the commissions ambitions and submit them in the hope of winning 5000 euros. That is not the way to foster a good critical and investigating press – its just a way for the commission to pay for PR. What European healthcare needs are more investigating and analytical healthcare journalism. Journalism that dare question if governments and providers are delivering according to claims. Journalists that patient can trust because they know that they write objective. Not journalist that help the EU institutions campaigning.