July 27, 2009

Daily Kos open letter to Nancy Snyderman about her fluffy health care news

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I’ve written about Dr. Nancy Snyderman’s form of health journalism many times.

But on Daily Kos today, JD Wolverton posts an open letter to Snyderman about what he calls her “fluffy health care news show.”

In it he writes:

I’m disappointed with your take on health care reform and suppose you have come to your biases from your experiences as a physician. You need to look at health care from the perspective of someone earning the median income in the U.S. today, about $50,223 per year. …

You don’t quote peer reviewed sources for your opinions. You don’t back up your assertions. Being an MD doesn’t excuse you from citing sources….

Do us a favor. Do a real health care oriented show that does more than fluff pieces. …

Honestly assess health care rationing in the U.S. Plenty of people talk about how health care rationing in the U.S. is done by insurance company bureaucrats and our ability to pay for our care – you should join us.

Say that there are long waiting periods for care in the U.S. – that disabled people who qualify for SSDI then have to wait 2 years (usually uninsured) before they can get onto Medicare. That’s a heck of a waiting period, don’t you think.

Do better. You don’t have to be a wonk. Just be more honest than you are now.

(Hat tip to Pia Christensen.)

Comments

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McCawEntertainment

July 27, 2009 at 11:11 am

How badly is she in the pockets of Big Drug Co. and large hospitals? I think you hit the nail on the head to think like a MD who sees patients who make less than $50,000.00 a year. If she’s a lobbyist, she’s not right for the show. If you’re going to do a 5-day-week health news show (unnecessary for anything other than an 8AM Sunday show), you need someone down… to… Earth!
She’s constantly cutting off people mid-sentence, which makes her fluffy show unwatchable, IMHO.
I want her disclose how much stock she has in the company that makes Tamiflu. She’s on a scare campaign.

isles

July 27, 2009 at 11:22 am

I actually think Dr. Snyderman is a good, scientifically-minded doctor doing her best to deliver reliable health information within the constraints of TV news. I’m sure if it were up to her there’d be less fluff, but then she’d never get on the air. At least she’s not in love with woo like a lot of TV docs.