One of my favorite things about events like HIMSS and CHIME is having the chance to meet people I’ve spoken with over the phone. Anytime I see someone who has been kind enough to do an interview, I’ll seek out that person and say thank you — not just because I appreciate their time, but because I enjoy seeing a different side of people. I get to see the way they interact in a more natural setting.
Now, some of these encounters haven’t been easy — I’ve had people tell me they didn’t expect to see their entire interview published, and I had one person tell me that he was inundated with emails after he spoke candidly about his experience with a vendor. For the most part, however, people have been very gracious, and have thanked me for saying hello “in person.”
No matter what type of feedback I’m getting, I always appreciate it. But there was an encounter at this year’s HIMSS conference (during our networking event with The Chartis Group) that reminded me why I love my job. Jackie Cawley, CMIO (and interim CIO) at MaineHealth, told me that she really appreciated the article we published about her organization’s IT transformation.
“It was great to get our story out there and be able to share some positive news,” she said.
As many remember, MaineHealth faced a great deal of negative publicity a few years ago when the organization suffered a “botched” Epic rollout that led to the resignation of CIO Barry Blumenfeld. I knew about that; what I didn’t realize until I spoke with Jackie was how deeply the onslaught of media coverage had impacted the organization. After all, it certainly wasn’t the first Epic implementation to go south but, for some reason, this particular story was a lightning rod, even being picked up by Forbes.
And I get it. As a member of the media, I understand that it’s our job to tell the story, even if it doesn’t paint a person or a health system in the best light. But it’s also our job to do it in a respectful and professional way, something that doesn’t always happen in the social media age, where news outlets often seem more focused on breaking a story than delivering it the right way.
Unfortunately, it’s what happened earlier this week when news first hit that Mets pitcher Matt Harvey was being pulled from the rotation due to an undisclosed injury. Some quickly speculated he had reinjured his elbow, others feared it was much more serious (“it’s not an orthopedic condition! What could it be?!”). We soon learned that Harvey had suffered a bladder infection that had prompted blood clots. Scary, yes. But an injury with long-term repercussions, it was not.
And so what did the NY media do upon learning the truth? They took the opportunity to mock Harvey’s condition with headlines such as “Urine Luck” and “Ya Gotta Relieve.” Joel Sherman of the NY Post (which has become famous for headlines that have gone from catchy to inappropriate and borderline libelous) published the following Tweet: “Harvey not speaking to reporters is yet another example of him holding it in.”
Not surprisingly, Harvey declined to meet with the media after his outing on Wednesday, and who knows when he’ll speak to them again. In fact, radio show host Michael Kay (who also happens to be the TV voice of the New York Yankees), said he isn’t surprised with Harvey’s decision, and he doesn’t blame him one bit.
“If we’re not careful, the role of the media is going to be eliminated in sports,” said Kay, suggesting that outlets like Twitter and the Player’s Tribune are becoming increasingly attractive ways for athletes to communicate with fans without having to deal with reporters.
And it’s not just the sports world. Mocking headlines and snarky Tweets have become common in other sectors as well, including politics and entertainment. Somewhere along the line, the desire to sell newspapers and drive site traffic surpassed the need to report on the news fairly and objectively, and that’s a big problem.
If the media is going to continue to deliver the news, things have to change. Am I saying we need to please everyone? Of course not. I’ve had my share of complaints from people who didn’t like the way an article was presented or who have disagreed with things I’ve written, and I have no issue with that. My issue is when the media focuses heavily on certain stories (where key words can help draw more attention) while ignoring others. We need to start taking the high road, or pretty soon there won’t be any roads left to take.
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