ethics, medicine, and the media.

With the recent disaster in Haiti, there have been more discrepancies between whether or not it is ethical to have doctors play the role of both a medical professional and a reporter. While it contributes to the dramatic nature of the story, many believe that there needs to be a clear divide; either you’re a doctor or a reporter.

While there are multiple news stations that have correspondents in Haiti, the most notable story was the recent brain surgery Dr. Sanjay Gupta, also a reporter for CNN, performed on an injured young girl. While conducting an interview for NPR’s On the Media, Bob Garfield said “To watch this cable news star in the moment, not as a reporter but as a healer, is simply irresistible.” While the surgery was heroic, Dr. Gupta requested to be filmed. Was this necessary? Where can we draw the line?

Similar stories exist concerning the ethics in the media meeting the medical world. During an interview with Garfield, Dr. Jonathan LaPook confirms that it’s unethical to act like a reporter when the situation calls for a doctor. “I’m thinking of my patients with Alzheimer’s, and when I go out there to report something I’m thinking that they’re listening. And, God, forbid, I should give somebody false hope…that is one of the cruelest things that somebody can do”, said LaPook.

So where is the line drawn? What types of situations are considered okay to have an individual play the role of a doctor and a reporter?