Researchers and research organisations can increase their real- world impact by engaging with public debate and public interest organisations like Croakey Health Media. Being involved with Croakey has helped me become a better writer and communicator, with benefits for my research and students.

Mental Health Victoria – Croakey Conference News Service coverage of #Lived Experience online forum
Mental Health Victoria, in partnership with the Victorian Healthcare Association, ran an online forum on the importance of embedding the voice of lived experience in mental health system reform.
Croakey journalist Marie McInerney did an exceptional job of covering the event through both real-time social media posts and a written article summarising the discussion and themes that arose during the forum.
Her regular Twitter posts throughout the event generated lively discussion and helped emphasise and elevate the important contributions from the consumer voices.
The article that Marie wrote on the event, titled “Imagine a mental health system that meets the needs of consumers and carers” took the reader on a journey through the forum’s key themes along with images and other media to supplement the discussion. It received very positive feedback from all involved.

As CEO of the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC), it is my pleasure to write a testimonial for Croakey. In the past three years, VMIAC have happily engaged the services of Marie McInerney and her team at Croakey to cover major events in the life of VMIAC. We have been fortunate to have Croakey cover our awards night last year and our conference the year before. Marie has brilliantly captured the essence of our organisation and the views of our members and stakeholders. I cannot envisage a time when we will not engage Croakey as we find their brand of journalism uplifting, accurate and honest. Marie’s ability to draw out the stories she produces is wonderfully fresh and always empowering. I would not hesitate to recommend Croakey as a leading service to any event.

Croakey gives us our daily dose of independent thinking, discussion and debate on all things public health. The broad mix of contributors, topics and prolific tweets combine to make it a valuable and lively source of news and food for thought for all Australians.

Croakey has pioneered an unprecedented role in providing an open forum for the revelation and exchange of thinking on health in Australia. Thanks to the indefatigable Croakey team, we have a place where players from all corners of health can share ideas, news and commentary.

Croakey is terrific. Thought provoking, well researched information….and easy to read.  A great combination.

Croakey not only gives me up to date information on contemporary health issues, but allows me to send my health information across Australia in an instant. It is also the perfect vehicle for starting peoples’ movements, engaging with Indigenous peoples and our issues, and building a community that has at its basis a desire to make positive change happen. It is polite and political, informative and inspiring. Active engagement is what Croakey does – and I like it!

Croakey is a must read for anyone who craves the public health stories that no one else reports. A truly independent and critical voice that both exposes health injustices and champions smart solutions to health inequalities.

Croakey is now well established as compulsory reading for influencers and observers in health and medicine in Australia and internationally – and rightly so. As a blog, it gives voice to people who support or oppose government health and social policy. It allows people to express their views and opinions openly, passionately, and freely – from all perspectives. More importantly, Croakey provides a forum for new ideas and new thinking – based on experiences at the frontline of health service delivery – which we can only hope find their way into future health policy to provide better health services to the Australian community.