Coverage of hospital district fair, even when unpleasant

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(Publisher’s note: Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2’s recent strategic planning process identified local media coverage by The Journal as a “threat” to the district. The Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) anaylsis included the following statement: “media negative, unbalanced coverage of healthcare beat, not supportive.” The following is a written response prepared by Publisher Stephen McFadden and presented during public comment at Tuesday’s hospital district commissioners’ meeting.)

The Journal’s historic coverage of the hospital district is significant. The content, under the supervision of the past three publishers, has been a mixture of positive, negative and neutral news based on the events of the times.

Nationally and locally, journalists are the first authors of history. We are often the ones to record the first draft of history as it unfolds. Our founding fathers saw value in that and insisted on freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics’ preamble expands on what journalists believe and strive for: We believe public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of our credibility.

In a small community, the SPJ preamble may seem pompous or arrogant. Perhaps elected leaders are annoyed by our presence and feel the media should butt out so they can tell taxpayers what is best for them. However, journalists are government watchdogs, the eyes and ears of the public. Labeling ourselves as agency watchdogs may be one of the reasons you have characterized The Journal as negative and unbalanced in its coverage of the district’s actions. Not everything we have published about the district is flattering. But we are reporting on your actions and decisions, not ours.

We have attempted to report on what is happening in a proper journalistic manner rather than appear as if we are the district’s paid public relations expert. That’s a difficult balancing act, especially since the district purchases advertising in The Journal, which helps ensure the newspaper’s existence.

Any business can control their own message in a newspaper in the space they purchase with their advertising dollar. Ethically, the news is not supposed to be influenced by those advertising investments.

The Journal belongs to the community. We answer to our readers and we work very hard to keep them informed. Our first goal is to do that accurately and fairly. We’re not perfect, far from it. But we strive to get it right or correct it when we get it wrong. If all the news in Ritzville was positive, then a “negative” news article would never be published.

I am a 25-year veteran of the industry and I have earned many awards as a journalist, photographer and editorial writer. The quality of my work has been honored many times. My writing however has never earned an award for being negative, or positive for that matter.

I have also served the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association as a board member for more than a decade, including two terms as president. The association represents 130 newspapers in the state.

Like most publishers and editors, I am passionate about the importance of the press and I embrace our belief that journalists have a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open.

Healthcare is important to everyone in this room. Government accountability is important to those who fund government — the taxpayers. Delivering responsible, informative community news to the community is important to me.

Hospital district leaders and employees may believe we are negative and unbalanced as stated in your draft strategic plan. I believe we report your actions accurately. And when necessary, we ask you to explain your actions. Perhaps that’s why we have been labeled as negative and unbalanced — because we expect you to take responsibility for your decisions.

Please review the two years of news coverage I am providing for you. I think you will find evidence we have been fair and balanced. And whenever possible, positive too.

I stand by the quality of our reporting. We wish the news was better. But please remember, we don’t create the news, you do. We, are the messenger.

— Stephen McFadden

The following is a breakdown of the number of published items regarding the hospital that have appeared in The Journal during the past 19 months (since January of 2010).

51 General News Articles, including primarily coverage of board meetings and their outcome. This is the category where the majority of the news reporting occurs, including the reporting of business conducted by the commissioners and the district staff.

37 Public Service Announcements, meeting notices and event news briefs. These are short articles, often just a few paragraphs informing readers about Telehealth courses, food drives, blood drives, foundation meetings, scheduling of the health fair, EMT plant sales and the foundation’s new golf tournament.

35 Letters to the Editor. These are items authored by community members. They represent the opinion of the author, not the newspaper.

14 Features on departments, equipment, services or personnel. These articles are intended to introduce new staff members, promote the acquisition of major new medical equipment or the creation of new district services. Examples include: Physical Therapist Kerry Suarez, Director Of Nursing Brenda Herr, CEO Mark Barglof, the annual Health Fair, Emergency Room Nurses Week, Radiology Manager Bruce Garner, Cory Anderson, PAC, Ambulance equipment grant and the installation of the new CT scanner.

7 Stand alone feature photos. These are photos with captions, typically recording philanthropic efforts by the district or its employees. It also features demonstration of equipment purchased with grants, and equipment donations from the foundation.

5 Editorials. These are opinions and position statements authored by the publisher, which represent the newspaper’s stance on an action, issue or decision.

2 Requested Corrections by staff following the publishing of an article.

Twice we were asked to publish corrections as a result of the newspaper making an error in a feature article.