Executive editors tend to hear various excuses from correspondents, but last week I gave our editor in Mumbai what might be a rare if not a unique excuse.
Executive editors tend to hear various excuses from correspondents, but last week I gave our editor in Mumbai what might be a rare if not a unique excuse. When he asked me to come to the video conference room, I told him that I couldn't because I was donating blood and so had to skip the meeting. What I said was completely true but not truly complete I was donating platelets for a person suffering from dengue and this process, which lasts over two hours, involves taking my blood, removing some platelets, and then pumping the blood back into my own body. For the whole period, I had to lie on a bed and even my arms were immobile because one was used to draw blood and the other to return it. In fact, a hospital employee held the mobile to my ear when I spoke because I was not supposed to move my hands.
Once this was done, I asked the authorities if they could give me details about the process so that I could write about it for my weekly column. While this was readily provided, they asked one question could I give them this copy so that they could have a look at it before it went to print?
I said that it was not possible because our editorial guidelines prohibited it. The hospital's representative was insistent, saying that they wanted to make sure that I didn't get any wrong information into print.
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To an extent, their fears were justified. If people are told about some of the side effects for instance, there is a tingling sensation around the lips while the process is being done then they may be reluctant to donate platelets.
But to be fair to journalists, we do cover things fairly. For instance, the tingling sensation is removed by chewing calcium tablets. And the process is harmless and there are no long term ill effects the day after the donation, I did my customary exercises, which includes the rather strenuous dand (Hindu push-ups), without any problem.
I'm surprised that a hospital couldn't understand the need for trust. What would happen if I didn't trust them when they said that they were using a single-use disposable kit for extraction? What if a patient doesn't trust his doctors and fails to follow treatment instructions?
Of course, mistakes are made by journalists, but one can write to the editor and have these issues addressed. People should understand that in the media, as with any other industry, there is a necessity for checks and balances, as well as trust. The checks and balances come from the editors, while the trust must come from the readers.
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