“Kansas City Star reporters are being given new assignments as part of parent company McClatchy Inc.’s “reinvention” of newsrooms across the newspaper chain.
The health beat has been transformed into the “bad medicine” beat……”1
(emphasis added)
-KCUR 89.3 radio website 8/21/2017 Dan Margolies Health News Editor
The outraged emails started to pile up in my inbox shortly after the Margolies’ “bad medicine” article appeared on the KCUR (KCUR 89.3 radio) website. To distill them down to their essence: this is inexcusable even for the Star. Don’t let them get away with this pejorative “bad medicine” moniker. I decided to take these as marching orders from both members of MSMA and the Kansas City Medical Society (KCMS) on whose Board I serve.
As a responsible journalist, I read the article in its entirety several times. I noted that Margolies had attempted to contact two members of the Star’s leadership for confirmation but his calls were not returned. I emailed the Star’s leadership to ask if “bad medicine” was the new header for all health care news or a formal/informal designation of the direction their reporting would be taking? The Star response was the Margolies’ story was vindictive, inaccurate, misleading and, “We will hold those accountable where needed but our focus remains on keeping the community informed.” Several follow-ups to Star/McClatchy leadership did not elicit any denials of the use of “bad medicine” for health care investigative reporting within their organization.
Also contacted confidentially were people working at the Star, and yes, they had heard the offensive term used to describe the work being done by Star reporters now covering health care. It was also obvious that at my paygrade the Star felt no further explanation was necessary. The Margolies’ column was forwarded to Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas, and national health care organizations. What would be their read of the column and our profession being reported on as “bad medicine?”
I have been active in organized medicine in Missouri for 42 years and in this time, I have not seen such a rapid and effective response as occurred over the next two weeks. The Star and their owners at McClatchy Communications (Sacramento, Calif.) received letters of concern and objection from: The American Medical Association, The American College of Surgeons, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, The Missouri State Medical Association, The Kansas Medical Society, The Kansas City Medical Society, The St. Louis Metropolitan Medical Society, The Missouri Society of Eye Physicians & Surgeons, and The Greene County Medical Society. Other state and national organizations were also gearing up to respond.
After this glorious hue and cry, I then received an email from upper management at McClatchy Communications stating that “I understand that you’re concerned about the phrase “bad medicine,” and I understand why you’d find that concerning. So I want to take a moment to explain. “Bad medicine” is a gallows-humor, shorthand way of referring to a beat that I think we can all agree is incredibly important: accountability in health care.” I’m not an orthopedic surgeon but I know a lame excuse when I see it.
Subsequent conversations with the Star indicated that while no public apology will be issued they are no longer using “bad medicine” as an internal designation for dishing the dirt on health care. “We’ve learned our lesson” as one chastened, exasperated Star pooh-bah told me.
Many thanks to the leadership of these “good medicine” organizations for your prompt and effective responses. It was unprecedented. Here’s hoping that similarly united, we will move forward on other substantive problems that face medicine and the health care professions.
Biography
John C. Hagan, III, MD, FACS, FAAO, MSMA member since 1975, is a Kansas City, Missouri, ophthalmologist and Missouri Medicine Editor since 2000. He is a multi-year Super Diamond Contributor to MMPAC.
Contact: jhagan@bizkc.rr.com
