Critique of Doff’s Media Coverage

Introduction

Whistle blowing as a term is used to describe the leaking of information about the negative side of an organization. The bad side of institution may be an auctioned witnessed during working hours though not necessarily. The wrong doing may also occur behind closed doors where only few people are aware (Department for Business Innovation and Skills, 2015). Any person who discloses information that puts a specific organization in bad light to the public is usually likely to be subjected to ridicule and segregation by other opposing forces that most of the times are work mates as witnessed in the case study scenario. Consequently, it is crucial for the whistle blower to be protected by law to prevent adverse effects pertaining to their job or their family members.

To be protected by law, whistle blowers` actions must serve the interest of the public which means matters of a personal nature are not covered by the law hence one must take full responsibility in case such a situation arises. Another factor of consideration is that, as a whistle blower, one has to give evidence of a continuity of the vice in question and its likelihood to cause harm in the future. What`s more has to proof without reason to doubt that the offence being disclosed may lead to criminal offences, injustice, none compliance to the set laws, endangerment of human health and safety, hazard to the environment or all of the mentioned situations. Without these considerations, the information disclosed will be considered propaganda hence non justifiable. In retrospect, Whistle blowing was first enacted as law in the United Kingdom in 1996 under the Employment Rights Act but later amended in 1998 to be under the Public Interest Disclosure Act. The act provides clear guidelines to be followed by anyone who feels victimized in their workstation because of disclosing confidential information for the interest of the public (Department for Business Innovation and Skills, 2015). In short, the victims of prejudice as a result of whistle blowing have to follow a set of procedures to set by law to protect themselves.

For the purpose of this report, whistle blowing is essential in the health sector especially in the Radiology departments. This is because it not only saves the lives of innocent patients it also boosts the reliability of the public on health services provided by health facilities. Therefore, whistleblowers are supposed to be protected not only by law but also by their superiors at work.

Accuracy of the Content and Misrepresentation

It is clear that those who will read the articles in the Daily Letter article are likely to lose confidence in the health care system. This does not mean that the death of Mrs Doff should not be investigated. The problem with the article is that it puts Karemore hospital and the NHS at a very incompetent position which the NHS administration does not take lightly. On the article on the Daily Blag, is full of double standards because its gives a verdict after getting one side of the story. The Blag does not bother to get comment of what led to the death of Mrs Doff from the hospital or even try to consult other care givers who were attending to the deceased patient. However, all is not lost because there are other news rooms like The Middle Ground who took their time and wrote a professionally guided article on 13th February after the other articles were published. The article by the Middle Ground clearly acknowledges the problem in the medical sector by giving reliable evidence but does not directly attack the NHS or Karemore hospital staff but give time for the truth to be revealed. As the chief executive Karemore NHS Trust I would like to urge the public to wait until the case if fully resolved then facts will be presented publicly.

Reporting Style

In a quest to get more readerships of their articles, some journalists resort to hyperbole and exaggeration to put a point across. In most cases, such articles fail to address the underlying issues. Such article writes use phrases like ‘The world will never be the same again’ or ‘we should not believe in the government’ and so on. Such phrases are entertaining but remember the objective is not to entertain but to inform. Writers should have high standards and be able to give a difference between figuratively and literally. Having such inane phrases in their writings jeopardizes their credibility (Radford, 2009). In short, facts should be sorted before an article is written about a sensitive subject like medical negligence.

The content in the in The Daily Letter article was poorly written since it was full of hyperbole and exaggeration. Using phrases like All Time Low, Ruffians and Thugs, Inadequate Health Service, Negligence and Poor State of the NHS puts the health sector in bad light based only on a single case of misconduct allegation. What`s more, the article recommends to readers that they should not attend NHS in case they have an accident. This is misleading the public and the newspaper should be answerable to any consequences that follow such comments. The big question that lingers is where accident victims should go to, if not NHS? In essence, newspaper companies should know that what they publish may have an influence on the behavior of readers hence; they should inform rather than scare their readers.

Possible effects on Readership

Several issues about public health are often viewed to display a bad picture even though they are crucial for the population in general. It should be noted that most of the factors that determine human health are the responsibility of an individual. These factors include, consumption of alcohol and cigarette as well as checking on one`s diet. Such activities may be manipulated by promoting health activities. However, how these activities are presented in newspapers can affect the reaction of people and their future status of their health (Westwood, 1999). As already mentioned, the article in the Daily Letter may influence individuals to use unorthodox methods to seek medical attention which in turn would lead to more causalities as previously experienced.

Follow Up Interviews

To avoid rumors and hearsay and bring this issue of alleged medical misconduct to rest, news house should request for follow up interviews with the NHS administration. By doing this, the truth will be uncovered and if it is found that there was evidence of negligence then, the people responsible must face the full force of the law. In addition, adjustments can be made to ensure a similar situation does not recur. Follow up interviews would represent responsible and professional journalism based on facts rather than gossip. Hence, the public can be fed with the right information instead of being scared with wrong and inadequate information. As such, the masses will be left to make their own informed choices.

In conclusion, whistle blowing followed by effective action is crucial for the improvement of the medical services offered in health facilities. It encourages care to be taken when attending to patients. Similarly, the media should have concrete evidence before reporting claims about medical misconduct since such reports always have immense influence on the readers who are also patients.

References

• Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2015). WHISTLEBLOWING; Guidance for Employers and Code of Practice. United Kingdom Government, pp.3-4.
• Radford, B. (2009). Hollywood Hyperbole: Michael Jackon’s death “brought entire world to stunned halt” | Center for Inquiry. [online] Centerforinquiry.org. Available at: https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/hollywood_hyperbole_michael_jackons_death_brought_entire_world_to_stunned_h/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2019].
• Westwood, B. (1999). Assessment of newspaper reporting of public health and the medical model: a methodological case study. Health Promotion International, [online] 14(1), pp.53-64. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjRmO7o243hAhUM6OAKHZcvDa0QFjACegQIChAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Facademic.oup.com%2Fheapro%2Farticle-pdf%2F14%2F1%2F53%2F9809050%2F140053.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0kS5da5bnxeukE49b04rRB [Accessed 19 Mar. 2019].