A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Complaints Made to the Council for Mass Media in Finland Concerning the Personal and Professional Lives of Doctors
Authors: Ahlmen-Laiho U, Suominen S, Jarvi U, Tuominen R
Publication year: 2012
Journal: Communications in Computer and Information Science
Journal name in source: EXPLORING THE ABYSS OF INEQUALITIES
Journal acronym: COMM COM INF SC
Volume: 313
First page : 91
Last page: 103
Number of pages: 13
ISBN: 978-3-642-32849-7
ISSN: 1865-0929
Abstract
The Council for Mass Media in Finland is a self-regulatory board of journalism that evaluates complaints concerning the execution of the Finnish Journalism Guidelines. Between 1995 and early 2002 26 verdicts given by the Council dealt with matters related to the private lives or work of medical professionals. These cases were analyzed in order to determine the limits for acceptability in treatment of physicians in the media. Four key themes were identified: the rights of an interviewee., the right for a subject of negative publicity to defend a physician's right to privacy and media impact on patients' health choices. Results: patient-doctor confidentiality may pose a challenge to a doctor's right to defend him/herself publicly; a doctor's profession should not be mentioned if it has no relevance to the event that is being reported; the media may well challenge existing medical paradigms.
The Council for Mass Media in Finland is a self-regulatory board of journalism that evaluates complaints concerning the execution of the Finnish Journalism Guidelines. Between 1995 and early 2002 26 verdicts given by the Council dealt with matters related to the private lives or work of medical professionals. These cases were analyzed in order to determine the limits for acceptability in treatment of physicians in the media. Four key themes were identified: the rights of an interviewee., the right for a subject of negative publicity to defend a physician's right to privacy and media impact on patients' health choices. Results: patient-doctor confidentiality may pose a challenge to a doctor's right to defend him/herself publicly; a doctor's profession should not be mentioned if it has no relevance to the event that is being reported; the media may well challenge existing medical paradigms.
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