"As President Obama's first nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor approaches the bench with a number of firsts. If she is confirmed to the lifelong post, as is widely expected, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to sit on the high court, and she would also be the first Justice with Type 1 diabetes." Full Story »
Posted by Margarita Persico
Alice Park, senior reporter with TIME, is department head for the magazine's science coverage. This "article is exploring Sotomayor's disease and consequences." This story not only informs the public about type 1 diabetes, but also educates the reader on what the disease is and how it can be managed. The story is well balanced. Concerns about the disease and longevity are exposed. Expert opinion is added as the “kicker” to the story dispelling concerns about this disease when Dr. R. Paul Robertson, president of the American Diabetes Association, assured with the disease, if well managed, people can live a long and healthy life. I think the only thing I would have added to improve this story and dispel the fear that diabetics don’t have a healthy long life would have been to add a public figure living with type 1 diabetes, for instance, Mary Tyler Moore, 72.
“"The advancements in the management of Type 1 diabetes have been just amazing over the last two decades, and the ability of people to manage their diabetes successfully has been proven. People with diabetes can function and live a long and healthy life.” “said Dr. R. Paul Robertson, president of the American Diabetes Association, in a statement following Sotomayor’s nomination.”
Disclosure: My conflict of interest, if it can be considered conflict of interest, I researched type 2 diabetes (predicted to affect one in three Americans by 2050) for the last several months and wrote five stories (none sent out for publication yet).