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| Iraq |
| CNN Medical Correspondent Operates on Iraqi Child |
| 2003-04-04 |
| LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sanjay Gupta, CNN's medical correspondent and a neurosurgeon, performed emergency brain surgery on Thursday in a vain effort to save the life of a 2-year-old Iraqi boy wounded at a U.S. Marine checkpoint south of Baghdad. CNN issued a statement saying the network applauded Gupta's decision, on humanitarian grounds, to cross the line between journalists and the U.S. armed forces unit he was "embedded" with, to participate in the operation. "Sanjay was sent to that particular unit as a medical correspondent, but we clearly support his efforts under these extraordinary circumstances to save the life of a dying boy," CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson said. "We are all proud of him." The boy, who had been struck in the head by a bullet or shrapnel in a shooting incident at the checkpoint, died despite Gupta's efforts. Gupta said the brain surgery went "very well" but the boy's other injuries proved too extensive. Assigned by CNN to cover the mobile staff of naval surgeons known as the "devil docs," Gupta said he was called on to operate on the boy because he was the only neurosurgeon present. "Medically and morally, I thought it was the right thing to do," Gupta said later in a report from the scene. "I did not hesitate at all ... I thought we could give this kid a fighting chance to live, and we came very close to doing exactly that." Gupta said the boy was one of three people who died in the shooting, which, according to the military, occurred when a taxicab passed through a U.S. Marine checkpoint south of Baghdad without stopping, prompting Marines to open fire. The driver and another man in the front passenger seat were killed. The boy's mother, who was in the backseat with the child, survived the shooting in critical condition, Gupta said. During one of his reports on the incident Thursday, unit commander Dr. Rob Hinks thanked Gupta for his help, welcoming him as "an honorary member of the devil docs." Good job, doc. Glad he remembered what comes first. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 Or Geraldo or Arnett for that matter |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-04-04 18:04:56 |
| #5 tu3031, here it is:"But Bob Steele, director of the ethics program at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, said he was uncomfortable with Gupta's situation, now that the operation is over. ''I'm hoping and trusting that he and CNN set some thresholds,'' Steele said. ''I think it's problematic if this is a role that he's going to be playing on any kind of frequent basis. I don't think he should be reporting on it if he's also a participant. He can't bring appropriate journalistic independence and detachment to a story.'' I guess if you are going to be a "journalist" you have to check your humanity at the door. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-04-04 13:01:41 |
| #4 Kudos to the doctor! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-04 12:08:24 |
| #3 Gupta's been covering the medical units over there and I think he's been doing a great job. I always had a feeling that if things got hairy, he'd get asked to step in and go to work. He's to be commended for doing the right thing. Now I look forward to the great debate of the "journalistic ethics" folks as to whether or not he should have become part of the story or maintained his journalistic objectivity. That should be good for a few laughs. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-04 11:12:51 |
| #2 Think if Bob Steele caught a round in the head, and Doc Gupta was around, he'd be concerned about the docs' "journalistic independence and detachment to a story"? Yeah, me neither. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-04 13:29:12 |
| #1 embedded neurosurgeon journalist? How STRANGE! There is a big leap between a neurosurgeon being a CNN "medical correspondent" v/s him taking the steps to become an embedded journalist in combat. One wonders whether or not he might be willing/available to operate on Sadaam or other Iraqi leaders, should the opportunity arise. |
| Posted by: becky 2003-04-04 07:22:56 |