Media Reaction to Independent Monitor Reports Shows Why The Public Continues To Lose Trust In the Media
Last week, the Dogwood Trust released the independent monitor report. The 2024 report showed that two of the three issues that were highlighted in 2023 were resolved, and the remaining issue was still being litigated.
Local media outlets framed this story as a type of crisis, despite the progress the report highlighted.
Carolina Public Press quoted several anti-HCA voices at the beginning of its article and misleading claimed that HCA the report showed “not in compliance.” The report only claimed “potentially” not in compliance. As the independent monitor said in the press call on this topic, the agreement contained vague terms, and court was best venue to sort this out. But the Carolina Public Press simply assumes the activists’ and politicians’ talking points, without taking care to present the report accurately.
WLOS continued the hyperbolic coverage saying that Mission did not adequately staff the emergency room. I was on the same press call as WLOS; they completely left out the key context provided by Gerald Coyne. He said that he personally visited Mission Hospitals emergency room and noted that it was a robust facility providing care to the community. The question being litigated is rather technical in nature because of the ambiguity in the language in the agreement.
Asheville Watchdog reported on the concerns raised about Charity Care at Mission Hospital. Watchdog’s “reporting” ignores important context provided by the Independent Monitor. Mission Health was not taking legal action against anyone with a medical debt; the report highlights a potential issue with regard to their policy. Additionally, Mission resolved these issues as part of the statewide initiative to mitigate medical debt across North Carolina.
Dogwood Trust and the Independent Monitor both acknowledge that the lawsuit involves a rather technical challenge based on the ambiguous language in the asset purchase agreement. This type of dispute is rather common in regard to hospital mergers, and the independent monitor said this litigation could set a precedent for the country when it comes to hospital mergers.
The media’s hyperbolic coverage of this issue does not match the contents of the reports. This provides a pristine example of legacy outlets producing click-bait to increase their appeal to a progressive leaning audience. This is why Americans writ large are losing trust in media.
According to Gallup’s annual polling, trust in the “mass media” has dropped to an all time low. From my perspective this is driven by the gap between what people experience and what the legacy media reports.
Just like on the national level, there is a gap between what people experience and what’s being reported with this story. Mission Health has been recognized as a top medical facility in North Carolina by both North Carolina based and National experts. But local media continues to print hyperbolic claims that do not match reality.
Over time this will prove to be a destructive pattern. People will continue to lose trust in their outlets because their reporting does not match reality. Even worse, some people may believe their hyperbolic rhetoric and not seek the medical care they need because they believe the misleading reporting about the local hospital.
