The President's Perspective
 Medicine? TV Journalism?
By: Bruce Bonanno, MD, FACEP
Medical News this past month includes the new limbo status of the universal health care bill due to the Mass. election but the bigger news includes the earthquake in Haiti and the devastation it caused. With this comes the 24 hour coverage of the events as they happen, the human tragedy, and of course the medical capabilities/catastrophes.
There is controversy on medical reporters using their positions to “make the News” and improve ratings. Should physician-journalists, be just journalists and not physicians? Or be physicians and not journalists? I have seen many voicing their opinion. And many, many times this is an emotional response. I will not try to answer the debate in this message. Instead I will ask some questions and let you ask them as well, to try to educate yourself to form your own opinion and continue the debate.
When does a physician stop being a physician? Can a physician-journalist separate the physician and the journalist? Do you think you they turn off that desire to help people, the reason they go into medicine and train all those years? Are they helping people for this reason, or are they doing it because their sponsors (networks) are encouraging them to? Are these physicians-journalists being placed by networks in these high need areas, using this position to use their skills as a physician?
When they turn into the physician, do they then turn off the cameras? Are they using the cameras to help TELL the story, or are they doing it to BE the story? Are they doing it for their ego? Are those arguing against them being physicians because their egos are hurt?
Are other “journalists” envious that they aren’t able to use this medical expertise? That they aren’t the ones with the story? Does being involved so closely with patients makes the story easier for the physicians to tell and more difficult for the journalist?
I am prejudiced in one aspect, I am an Emergency Physician. I treat ALL types of patients. I am not a “specialist” taking care of a subset of patients. I am trained to take care of all of them----at least up to a certain point. So I also ask, is this physician able to take care of this specific medical problem, what is their background (specialty)?
What is all boils down to is it we will have our opinions!
But the one question that must ultimately asked by everyone is “can I look myself in the mirror and live with what I am doing?” Others will know us for what we are.
I previously wrote an article about integrity for the NAMC newsletter in May 2006. Some things will never change.
Bruce Bonanno, MD, FACEP
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