The interview the VA didn’t want you to hear.
The interview the VA didn’t want you to hear.
Last week, WAMU reporter David Schultz attempted to interview Tommie Canady about the poor treatment he said veterans were receiving from the VA. In the middle of the interview, however, VA communications specialist named Gloria Hairston “stopped Schultz and wouldn’t let him leave until he handed over his [recording] equipment.” After significant public outcry, the VA returned Schultz’s equipment. Today, WAMU aired Schultz’s interview with Canady that the VA didn’t want the public to hear:
SCHULTZ: Canady recounted how, in his words, he was forced out of the military by a racist captain, and how after being discharged, he and his family were homeless for three years. … Canady described the conditions veterans encounter at DC’s VA hospital.
CANADY: They don’t get the proper care they’re supposed to by the nurses. I spent months in here. These guys — some of these guys spend years in here. We know exactly what goes on in this hospital, and they hide it. And it’s time for it to come out to the public. This is sad.
Schultz noted that Canady became “visibly upset” when Hairston came up and told him he couldn’t “talk anymore.” Listen here:
Transcript:
SCHULTZ: VA officials did not want Tommy Canady speaking to any reporters without first signing an official release. The 56-year-old veteran attended the public meeting held at the same hospital where he periodically receives treatment for a terminal illness. I interviewed him in a hallway outside the auditorium where he earlier spoke to a standing-room only crowd.
CANADY: I’d really like to say the whole story; it really makes the whole thing, if you don’t mind.
SCHULTZ: I don’t mind at all.
SCHULTZ: Canady recounted how, in his words, he was forced out of the military by a racist captain, and how after being discharged, he and his family were homeless for three years.
Hairston of the VA hospital’s public affairs department approached, and she said the interview could not continue because Canady had not signed a release.
HAIRSTON: I can’t allow you to use this.
SCHULTZ: I’m going to use this.
HAIRSTON: He can’t talk anymore. That’s it. I can’t do it, sir. He can’t do it.
SCHULTZ: You have a right to talk if you want to talk.
CANADY: Who are you? Just tell me who you are.
HAIRSTON: I’m Gloria Hairston, public affairs here at the VA medical center.
CANADY: Why are you telling me that I have to keep my mouth shut? See, that’s the problem.
HAIRSTON: I didn’t say you have to keep your mouth shut. You don’t have to keep your mouth shut.
CANADY: Then why are you telling me I can’t do this interview?
HAIRSTON: (INAUDIBLE) Can’t do this interview.
SCHULTZ: Hairston walked away and called for security as Canady continued, now becoming visibly upset.
CANADY: No, I heard her say she’s going to seize this tape. No, she won’t if I put it in my hands. She better not try to seize it. And I mean it. Or you’re going to have to physically touch me –
SCHULTZ: Let’s calm down.
SCHULTZ: Canady described the conditions veterans encounter at DC’s VA hospital.
CANADY: They don’t get the proper care they’re supposed to by the nurses. I spent months in here. These guys — some of these guys spend years in here. We know exactly what goes on in this hospital, and they hide it. And it’s time for it to come out to the public. This is sad.
SCHULTZ: He also labeled the VA as racist.
CANADY: These black guys, they can’t get their benefits like the white guys. Count the numbers and you’ll see what I mean. People come in here, every one of them that go through the same thing we do, got a higher percentage than we do, and some of us don’t even have an (INAUDIBLE) percentage, and we file before they did. Doctors have given me 100 percent from California to Washington, DC, and I still have not received my money. At last count, it was almost $800,000, and these people have not paid me a penny.
SCHULTZ: The interview had already ended when Hairston returned with four security officers and demanded that I surrender my equipment. Most of the equipment was later returned, but Hairston kept the flash card containing the interview and other recordings, saying that she planned to erase it. After several media outlets reported the incident, and at least two journalism advocacy groups sent letters of protest to the VA — along with a similar letter from WAMU’s general manager Caryn Mathes — the VA arranged to return the flash card, which had not been erased, to WAMU news director Jim Asendio on Friday night.
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Hopefully Shinsheki will have something to say about this…
April 13th, 2009 at 11:33 amever been to a VA Hospital?
House of Horrors.
I kid you not.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:34 amThe fourth estate at work. Hopefully it will shed some light on the situation.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:40 amThe war is coming home.
April 13th, 2009 at 11:49 amjb Says:
——————————————————————————–
The war is coming home.
Its been home for awhile now. The VA is something else to say the least.
RIP
April 13th, 2009 at 11:52 amSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
It took my brother, a Vietnam vet now totally disabled both by his wounds and MS, several years and much wrangling and the active intervention of his Senator, to get his back money owed and regular payments started.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:11 pmAside from being criminal, It’s just Shameful.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:14 pmSo TP, why are you continuing to vilify the VA and extending this so-called “reporter” his 15 minutes of fame? Once again everything is based on the reporters word.
Please read Schultz’s account and notice that he left out the part where Gloria Hairston told him that he had to get a consent form signed for the interview. Looks like he edited that part out of his tape. Why would he do that? And why, if he is a reporter, didn’t he know that it is standard procedure to get a consent form signed before you conduct an interview? And why didn’t he ask Gloria Hairston for a consent form when she told him he needed it?
I’m sorry, but this whole thing reeks of a reporter looking for his 15 minutes of fame and blogs like TP and the Huffington Post are playing right into his game.
I totally agree that something needs to be done to improve the conditions at the VA hospital, but I don’t see that they did anything wrong in this case.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:16 pmMost of the equipment was later returned, but Hairston kept the flash card containing the interview and other recordings, saying that she planned to erase it.
Again, we have nothing but Schultz’s word for this. What I read was that Harison told him he could have the flash card back when he obtained a signed consent form.
Anyone wondering here why Schultz didn’t just get a signed consent form? Because if he had, the whole incident would have been a non-incident. I believe he saw an opportunity to create a controversy and took it.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:19 pmI wonder if Houston is part of the team left over from the Bush Administration. Her style and philosophy certainly match that of Rove and Cheney. She should be kicked to the curb for her actions as a clear warning to any other residual members of the Bush team to get on board with the new Administration or get the hell out of Dodge.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:21 pmBilbo you are 100% spot on. This is a case of a bad reporter not doing the bare minimum.
The real title of this post should be “The interview the VA didn’t want you to hear… without a signed consent form from the interviewee to cover their butts.”
April 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pmThis is really rediculous about the signed consent form. He just finished speaking in an auditorium to how many people? Did all of those people have consent forms? Why were they allowed to listen to what he had to say?
Why are you ragging on the reporter? There’s any number of reasons he didn’t have one. There is no evidence that the incident wouldn’t have taken place if he did have one.
Just think of all the stories that wouldn’t make the news if everyone had to have a signed consent form.
I’ve signed stuff in the past, and depending on which party has the most money depends on who wins. Simple. Signatures don’t mean shi*, especially when some VA ahole can just take it away along with the rest of the equipment.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:42 pmNothing worse then lazy reporters looking for 15 minutes of fame.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pmI’m reasonably certain that Woodward and Bernstein didn’t have signed consent forms from Deep Throat.
Yes, all of this might have been avoided had the reported obtained the release form. But, with a signed release form, the VA would have the name of the person blowing the whistle, and from what I could tell, the person in question didn’t trust the VA as far as could throw them.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:20 pmI would like to know why the reporter would even have to have a signed consent form from a legal aged adult. He is not a prisoner there so he can talk to and about anything he wants and if the V.A. does not like it then all they have to do is cross the street and conduct the interview there.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:35 pmI am a little confused…I have never heard of a legal requirement that mandates reporters obtain signed release forms before interviews are conducted. I have personally answered reporters questions and made statements to the press without a release…when you talk to the press, you do so at your own peril…reporters don’t even have to identify themselves as reporters when they ask questions…it seems like some of the posters here fail to grasp the idea of having a free press…reporters must be allowed to investigate..ask hard questions…and no be bullied by the government. This women at the VA should be fired or demoted to orderly.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:41 pmThanks guys for some common sense. I was feeling outnumbered.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:47 pmraynman Says:
I’m reasonably certain that Woodward and Bernstein didn’t have signed consent forms from Deep Throat.
Yes, all of this might have been avoided had the reported obtained the release form. But, with a signed release form, the VA would have the name of the person blowing the whistle, and from what I could tell, the person in question didn’t trust the VA as far as could throw them.
So you are saying that the VA didn’t know the name of the person the reporter was talking to?
It is standard practice in the journalism world to get a subjects permission for an interview. I was interviewed once by a local TV station and they asked me to sign a consent form so they could use my interview.
Do an internet search for “interview consent form” and come back and tell me that it is not common practice to get a consent form signed when you conduct an interview.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:48 pmSeekerSTL Says:
I am a little confused…I have never heard of a legal requirement that mandates reporters obtain signed release forms before interviews are conducted.
I am not sure it is a legal requirement, but it is a commonly held belief that you should get a subject’s consent before conducting an interview.
Part of the consent with the VA has to do with the fact that the patients in the hospital are under the care of the VA. That puts HIPPA into place and there are many requirements for patient confidentiality under HIPPA.
I really do wish that we would get a statement from the VA on this issue. All we have at this time is the rantings of the “reporter” who created this situation in the first place.
Also, I really do want those of you who are so quick to vilify the VA to go read the article at:
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfapr09/nf041109-3.htm
VA Watchdog IS NOT a fan of the VA, but they recognize the fact that the reporter did not follow protocol and the VA was not the villain in this one.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pmraynman Says:
I’m reasonably certain that Woodward and Bernstein didn’t have signed consent forms from Deep Throat.
You want to bet that at the beginning of the interview they didn’t say “Do we have your permission to conduct this interview”?
April 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pmdeebaser Says:
Bilbo you are 100% spot on. This is a case of a bad reporter not doing the bare minimum.
Thanks for the support. It seems like you and I are the only two people on this blog who think that way.
I have no problem criticizing the VA when criticism is due. But in this place I think it was the reporter who was at fault by not following proper procedures.
April 13th, 2009 at 1:55 pmBilbo #20,
You want to bet the patient wasn’t begging for a reporter to hear his story?
April 13th, 2009 at 1:57 pmSo I see Mr Concern is back once again attack ThinkProgress for reporting an important story. Whenever the Freedom of the Press is infringed upon, its important, and this one is important because our Veterans deserve the best care and the right to be heard.
But for some reason, “Bilbo” feels it’s important for him to lie to try to confuse the facts of this story.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:16 pmAnd once again, like yesterday you base your nonsense on your inability to read the story.
And in this case, LISTEN to the story.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the recording of the interview and the patients distress over it are RECORDED.
Try listening and reading the story next time, before shilling for the opposition.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:19 pmWell if you’d read the story, then you’d realize what you “think” isn’t worth a bag of beans.
Try going back like I told you yesterday, and READING the story. Then you’ll discover that the interview was held in a PUBLIC FORUM, and thus the VA had no right to restrict the freedom of the press.
So say’s our constitution.
Try reading next time before shilling for the silencing of our free press.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pmGood question. And as your logic deduced, he did not.
The “consent form” was merely an excuse to try and squash honest criticism about how this Vet felt he was being treated.
And we know this because of three important facts from this story.
1. It was a PUBLIC FORUM, hence you cannot restrict the freedom of the press in a public forum.
2. IF the consent form WAS the issue, then Ms Hairston simply would have provided one. Instead of surrounding Mr Schultz with armed guards.
3. IF the consent form WAS the issue, then Mr Schultz’s equipment and flash card would not have been returned without first making a big deal about getting the consent form signed. We have heard nothing about that however.
The consent form was simply Ms Hairston’s excuse for restricting the freedom of the press in a public forum, and it was a poor excuse as we see the VA lawyers made no mention of it when returning Mr Schultz’s flash card containing the interview. If the consent form WAS the issue, then you can rest assured that VA lawyers would have made a big pomp and show over getting it signed first, prior to releasing the flash card containing the interview.
This was exactly what it looked like, and what ThinkProgress is reporting. A case of unconstitutional infringement upon the freedom of the press. And I advise people here to take note of those who are shilling against the free press on this one, and siding with the totalitarian mentality of Ms Hairston and her squad of armed guards.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pmRealityCheck Says:
Nothing worse then lazy reporters looking for 15 minutes of fame.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Sure there is. Ignorant, brainwashed punkass trolls like YOU are much worse.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:53 pmOur record on “change” so far doesn’t extend to protecting the Constitution and restoring balance between the three branches of government, or civil rights to We the People(FISA, ATandT, state’s secrets.)
Nor does it extend to Justice Department reform (Stevens-Seigleman, refusal to prosecute war crimes, Bush hacks still hacking).
Let’s see how about unfair, anti-labor, trade agendas that exploit slave labor overseas and steal living-wage jobs from Americans? Not much there either. We just need more education, right? We need green jobs that baby boomers would never get a chance at right? You know, those 50 year olds that have a while to survive to 65,that no longer have guaranteed pensions or 401K’s that are worth anything, that have chronic medical conditons that employers desire so much when for-profit healthcare companies have no regulation over out of control for-profit premiums. Let’s educate those boomers. We can teach some old dogs a few tricks noone will ever let them use.
Which leads me to change on healthcare? Does anyone think Medicare costs would be so expensive that even multi-national, investment-class millionaires in the legislature would whine about them, if they didn’t allow anything “for-profit” to come near Medicare in the first place? Maybe if they hadn’t made it illegal to negotiate down drug prices, it might not cost so much. No good change coming on healthcare either. Obama’s plan will mandate that you contribute to a continued for-profit healthcare system. At least you have the option not to currently,unless you need to. You say Medicare is not for-profit? Medicare itself may not be, but all the vultures around it are.
So maybe, possibly, we can see some form of real change to honor those Americans that have sacrificed so much, and the sacrifice of the current Obama vets, so the governmental-industrial complex can test out their toys, and the defense industry a reason to exist, and so Exxon and the guys would have a lot of extra money laying around for next season’s politicians to lick their chops at.
I won’t even begin about campaign finance reform and REAL lobbyist reform.
I am not saying Obama hasn’t done anything to change the presidency. I am saying he is doing the wrong things on the things that matter. I thought it took a moron like “W” to lack the conscience it takes to steal a democracy from a nation.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:58 pmWhat is the story here?
1.) Failure to obtain a consent form by the reporter.
2.) The harassment of a reporter by the staff of the VA
while interviewing a patient.
(Willing cooperation by the person being interviewed)
3.) The conditions of at the hospital and with the VA.
I am sorry if the conduct of the reporter offended anyones sensibilities, but the real story is the miserable conditions offered to our veterans, and the staff at the hospital fully aware of said conditions and trying to control the reporting of those conditions. What in the hell has happened to our government. Have we lost any common sense or decency!
This is what 8 years of a government put into the hands of elitists gets you.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:54 pmThe VA has for the most part over the past 3 decades, has not changed in the way they operate in providing medical care or mainly the lack there of, to ALL eligible veterans. Anyone ever been to the big VA facility in Los Angeles, yeah it’s right there in the Westwood area, UCLA. Try conducting an investigation of complaints against a nurse and see if you don’t get stonewalled by administrators, upper and middle managers. Even though nurses and doctors are employed by the federal government, they still need to be licensed by the state where they are assigned to practice. It’s not unusual for the feds to reassign their medical professional to another state to avoid an investigation by the state. Oh yeah, the VA needs a total revamping from the ground up.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:15 amOK Pat obviously senile dementia has set in. Time to see the nice young men that will need to take care of you soon.burun estetigi rent a car arac kiralama
April 18th, 2009 at 5:31 amsac ekimi