Scott Stump
Scott Stump focuses on health and wellness stories that unfold through the experiences of real people, often at the intersection of public health, stress, parenting and popular culture. He works as a trending reporter and as the writer and editor of the daily newsletter This is TODAY for TODAY Digital and NBC News, covering the day's news, health and other high-interest topics in a concise, accessible format. His reporting sits close to the concerns of everyday audiences, translating complex or contentious health issues into narratives that show how they affect individuals and families.
Health news through individual stories
Stump’s health coverage is distinguished by its emphasis on the human impact of public health decisions and disputes. In his reporting on a cruise passenger caught in a hantavirus-related public health clash between federal and state authorities, he follows one traveler’s account of feeling “held hostage” as a way into a larger debate about disease containment, jurisdiction and traveler rights. He keeps policy and agency actions in view but leads with the person affected, using direct quotes and clear timelines so readers can follow both the emotional arc and the underlying health guidance.
His health pieces often track how official recommendations, regulations or emergencies land in ordinary lives, turning abstract public health language into specific delays, fears and choices for the people involved.
Across these stories, Stump writes in straight news format with feature elements, summarizing the core health facts before moving into richer narrative detail. He points out what different authorities are saying, what the rules allow, and what options people on the ground actually have, without slipping into commentary.
The result is health reporting that is grounded in individual cases but still useful for readers trying to understand broader public health dynamics.
Wellness trends and stress relief
Beyond hard news, Stump covers wellness and lifestyle concepts that address how readers manage stress and time. In his piece on the “Slow Movement,” he profiles the idea of slowing down daily life to focus on quality over quantity, drawing on an advocate’s advice and offering concrete steps such as disconnecting from screens, sharing a daily family meal and creating calming rituals with children.
He frames these ideas as practical strategies for coping with modern pressures rather than abstract self-help slogans, grounding them in everyday routines.
Stump’s wellness stories typically blend expert insight with accessible tips, showing readers how to apply broader health philosophies in small, manageable ways.
He writes in plain language, explains key concepts quickly, and organizes information so that the recommended actions are easy to pick out. This approach makes his coverage particularly useful for audiences looking for realistic adjustments to improve mental health and well-being rather than drastic life overhauls.
Parenting, fear and resilience
Stump frequently reports at the point where parenting and personal health meet, often through high-profile families. In his story on Jessica Simpson overcoming a lifelong fear with the help of her daughter, he focuses on how a parent’s vulnerability and a child’s support become a path to change. The piece looks at emotional barriers, family dynamics and small moments of courage, illustrating how health-related fears can be addressed inside everyday family life.
In similar parenting features, he highlights how families adapt to challenges, whether they are dealing with anxiety, phobias or broader lifestyle shifts.
Health is present both as a topic - fear, stress, coping - and as a backdrop to family decisions and rituals. By using familiar names and relatable stories, he brings attention to the psychological side of health and resilience without turning the coverage into celebrity gossip.
TODAY culture, personalities and the daily briefing
As a trending reporter and newsletter writer, Stump also covers the people and culture around the TODAY franchise, often touching health, friendship and work-life themes. In his piece on Craig Melvin’s friendship with a colleague, he writes about the emotional support and camaraderie inside a demanding broadcast environment, showing how relationship ties contribute to well-being and professional endurance.
He has also profiled authors and journalists whose work touches environmental and societal issues, connecting their ideas back to how audiences live and work.
His role as writer and editor of the This is TODAY newsletter means he compiles and presents a daily mix of news, health, entertainment and human-interest stories for a broad audience.
That responsibility is reflected in his reporting style: he prioritizes clarity, short explanatory passages and direct headlines that quickly convey why a story matters. Reprints of his work in local outlets include light viral features such as security footage of a child “trespasser” hugging a dog, underscoring his range from serious public health disputes to levity that resonates widely.
Across formats, Stump’s coverage remains anchored in how events, trends and personalities affect people’s lives and well-being, with health and everyday impact as a recurring thread.
4 more health journalists.
Aislinn Antrim
Aislinn Antrim is an associate editorial director at Pharmacy Times and a journalist who connects clinical advances, regulation, and the changing role of pharmacists. She writes pharmacy-centered health coverage on chronic disease therapeutics, specialty and oncology care, workforce pressures, and advocacy. Her reporting explains FDA actions, policy shifts, drug pipelines, and the real-world effects of new evidence on patient care and pharmacy practice. She often uses interviews and expert conversations to show how pharmacists improve adherence, manage side effects, navigate access and benefits, and coordinate care with prescribers. She also covers burnout, staffing strain, and the future of pharmacy practice, with an eye on how policy and economics shape work at the dispenser.
Alex Cabrero
Alex Cabrero is an Emmy award-winning KSL TV reporter who covers where health, safety and community life meet, always focused on how decisions and events affect everyday people. He has been with KSL since 2004, bringing long experience in breaking news, public service coverage and human-centered features. His beat includes public health, emergency response, technology, local infrastructure, environment and science, framed through community well-being and resilience. He reports on issues like mental health initiatives, law enforcement staffing, environmental hazards, rescues, wildfire detection tools, land-use fights and scientific discoveries, making technical and policy details clear for a general audience. He also produces many positive, everyday-life features on families, veterans, farmers, sports and local traditions. His style is direct and conversational, often built around a central person or family whose experience carries the story across TV, digital and social platforms.
Alexandra Frost
Alexandra Frost is a freelance journalist and content marketing writer who turns expert-backed health and family guidance into clear, practical service stories. She covers consumer health, wellness, nutrition, preventive care, medical research, parenting, kids’ mental health, education, products, and lifestyle. Her reporting explains concerns such as inflammation, urinary symptoms, fiber, lung cancer screening, pain treatment, mobility, family dynamics, children’s technology use, and school readiness. She profiles clinicians and scientists, connects research to everyday decisions, and focuses on what readers should watch for, ask, or change. Frost currently writes across multiple outlets, including Good Housekeeping, Cincinnati Magazine, Wirecutter, Popular Science, Success, Healthline, Parents, Women’s Health, Reader’s Digest, Today’s Parent, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, TIME, Consumer Reports, Business Insider, and National Geographic. She also works as a freelance editor, media consultant, and content strategist.
Alexandra Pattillo
Alexandra Pattillo is a freelance journalist who pairs rigorous health and science reporting with intimate accounts of patients’ lives. She covers health, science and wellness for the BBC and other major outlets, including National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Outside, CNN and Inverse. Her beat includes eating disorders, women’s health, perinatal mental health, brain health, youth sports, concussion, long-term Covid symptoms, attention, habits and behavioral science. She reports on emerging treatments such as psychedelic-assisted therapy for anorexia, testing evidence, safety and relapse risk. She explains complex research in plain language and examines how it shapes everyday choices. Her reporting uses in-depth interviews with patients, families, clinicians, researchers and coaches. Through the BBC’s Health Gap column, she also covers stigma, unequal access to care and gaps between lived experience and standard medical pathways.