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The Media, Scene Care and Michael Jackson - and a soon to be unemployed Fire Captain.
So, I'm going to have to rant here. Because I work in a Childrens hospital, we don't get many TV channels. CNN is one of the channels I am forced to watch. The stupidity of the mass media sometimes affects me on deep levels. This one has a HIPPA violation, going beyond the public information officer violation, and a general violation of the common sense requirements for a moment of fame.
Speaking on sources of an LA fire captain, they described how Paramedics were on scene with him for 43 minutes. The reporter then questioned WHY were they there that long, rather than scooping up and running with him. The Captain had the stupidity to use street slang with the reporter, and she was totally blowing it. He said he got the "Hallelujah Package", which was elaborated on by the reporter. She mentioned how there were "many things Paramedics could do to restart the heart", and even mentioned that the captain said they should have loaded and gone with the patient. She even mentioned the Golden Hour Concept.....wrongly. Never any mention of WHY they were on scene accurately, what they have to do, and how ineffective CPR is while bouncing down the street in an ambulance. Or how dangerous it is to run with a cardiac arrest patient,
Anyone else have a problem with media that gives inaccurate and generally poor information about what emergency medical responders do? They do nothing except further the belief that EMS is a bunch of uneducated white-coats who throw a stretcher in the back of an ambulance and run real fast to the hospital.
Speaking on sources of an LA fire captain, they described how Paramedics were on scene with him for 43 minutes. The reporter then questioned WHY were they there that long, rather than scooping up and running with him. The Captain had the stupidity to use street slang with the reporter, and she was totally blowing it. He said he got the "Hallelujah Package", which was elaborated on by the reporter. She mentioned how there were "many things Paramedics could do to restart the heart", and even mentioned that the captain said they should have loaded and gone with the patient. She even mentioned the Golden Hour Concept.....wrongly. Never any mention of WHY they were on scene accurately, what they have to do, and how ineffective CPR is while bouncing down the street in an ambulance. Or how dangerous it is to run with a cardiac arrest patient,
Anyone else have a problem with media that gives inaccurate and generally poor information about what emergency medical responders do? They do nothing except further the belief that EMS is a bunch of uneducated white-coats who throw a stretcher in the back of an ambulance and run real fast to the hospital.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by dr-exmedic on -
Most general reporters get trained in reporting, not in any particular field, and as a result they tend not to know much about anything outside of journalism. (For example, the only field-specific reporting class my J-school offered--required for news majors--was Reporting Public Affairs, which was very gov't focused. No Reporting Business/Health/Science/Whatever Affairs.) As a result, I consider it more or less a miracle when they get something right...and you know that behind that result has to be a rock-solid foundation provided by an excellent media relations person (which are of course rare). And of course some places consider getting the news out more important than getting it right, which doesn't help....
Really, getting the media to report accurately takes a lot of time. You have to expose them to enough stuff to overcome their background data, then maintain a relationship.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Rubin on -
It sounds like this wasn't simply a case of the media getting it wrong; the Captain had a lot to do with it, too, based on your account.
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Permalink Reply by Annette Smith on -
I agree with dr-ex, we actually have had reporters "assigned" to us with the local news media before. It helps them get to know us, and frankly helps us get to know them. That way they get good information from the apprpriate people, at the appropriate time....not just my hand covering their camera lens. More education and communication has gone a long way. Still far from perfect but we're trying! I cannot IMAGINE the Media Circus surrounding Jackson's death, they really should have had somebody there, ready with the right answers.
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Permalink Reply by Rita Walls on
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The main thing here is not how well the reporters are or are not trained. The captain has had the training needed, to know that nothing should have been discussed with anyone (accept other medical personnel) about who the patient was, nor the medical condition of the patient.
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