Friday, September 18, 2009

Journalistic even-handedness

The AP offers this bizarre report:

A woman died after being severely burned in a flash fire while undergoing surgery, a rare but vexing dilemma in operating rooms.

Janice McCall, 65, of Energy, Ill., died Sept. 8 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., six days after being burned on the operating table at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Ill., her family's attorney said.

Attorney Robert Howerton said he had requested medical records from the Marion hospital and that he had few details about what happened.

Hm. It's "a rare but vexing dilemma in operating rooms," is it?

Yes, I'm sure "vexing" was the word everyone involved was reaching for.

Also: "Dilemma?" Meaning there are good arguments either way about this whole burning-up-on-the-operating-table thing, and it's often hard for family and hospital staff to know which way to lean?

I think this might be the reason the AP doesn't want anyone else quoting their reports.

(Hat-tip to Doctor Beyond.)

1 comment:

fbear said...

"And now, for the Pro Flash Fire position, we have R. Sunnist."

People have been saying for 30 years that the modern media would let the Nazis give their side, so they can be "fair".