(Thumbnail image: The Mirror)
The news media spent most of Thursday and Friday speculating about why former President Bill Clinton was admitted to the hospital.
Doctors have confirmed the procedure was a routine follow-up for quadruple bypass surgery – But that didn’t stop the media from adding their own explanations.
“Former President Bill Clinton just days ago in Haiti, he has been keeping a demanding schedule in the aftermath of the earthquake" (CNN)
“Each of those trips as we know, there’s heat, it is taxing for him and you say they do indicate that he had been feeling tired recently.” (ABC News)
“He had battled weight problems throughout his presidency” (CNN)
“By stopping to go to McDonald’s now and by losing weight, it’s not going to undo the years of what we’ve done before we did all this” (CNN)
“Clinton known for his grueling schedule and love of junk food has not slowed down.” (MSNBC)
CNN says Clinton's chest pains were a result of previous surgery - not his current health.
"This was a mechanical failure."
"His doctors are saying, he's done well, we like the way his heart looks. This shouldn't change his lifestyle. He has been practicing good health."
Psychology Today says most of the news media outlets misidentified Clinton's major risk factors.
“Pundits discussed Clinton’s competiveness and unwillingness to take a back seat…Actually, working energetically on motivating projects in cooperation with other people…are positive predictors of heart health and longevity.”
A BBC journalist says the news was mishandled and sensationalized way more than necessary.
“Within an hour the ex-president's staff had issued a statement making it clear that he was in good spirits and good shape. It had gone very quickly from breaking news to broken news…When it was all over I reflected that when I started in journalism the doctor's statement would probably have been the first we would have heard about the event.”
So why did the media report so many different theories? Should the media speculate before getting official confirmation from doctors?
Writer: Alyssa Caverley
Producer:
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