As I start this blog, I am reminded of a story that occurred many years ago in Boulder, Colorado. The local newspaper employed an environmental editor who staunchly railed against the terrible human impact on the environment. One fine Sunday, she decided to take a hike (literally) on a trail that had been closed to hikers so it could restore itself – and she then decided to report how the trail was coming back to life. Naturally, all of the other hikers exploded in anger. Soon after her column disappeared.
In an Associated Press article by David Bauder (October 20, 2014) entitled: “NBC’s Snyderman faces credibility issues,” we hear of the troubles of Dr. Nancy Snyderman who is the chief medical editor for NBC News. According to the article:
“Snyderman, who spent 17 years as a medical correspondent for ABC News and has been at NBC since 2006, covered the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and worked briefly with Ashoka Mukpo, the cameraman who caught the virus and is now being treated in Nebraska. Upon returning to the United States, Snyderman and her crew voluntarily agreed to quarantine themselves for 21 days, the longest known incubation period for the disease. They have shown no symptoms.”
Well, it was all good and responsible that Dr. Snyderman voluntarily quarantined herself, however she and her crew were spotted in a New Jersey restaurant. The article continued:
“NBC won’t give details about who actually went into the restaurant, or even how many of its employees are being quarantined. Snyderman issued a statement saying ‘members of our group’ violated their pledge.”
Unless Dr. Snyderman suddenly cloned a body double in her laboratory, she was one of the “members” in the restaurant. Listeners have taken to Facebook yelling for her removal from the airwaves saying they will never trust her again.
It is interesting to see other members of the media rush to Dr. Snyderman’s defense. Also from the article:
“Susan Dentzer, a longtime health journalist and commentator for National Public Radio and the PBS “NewsHour,” said people shouldn’t forget that Snyderman put herself at risk to travel to Africa and cover the story. The public is reacting to a fear of Ebola instead of science, she said. ‘She and her team clearly should have observed the terms of their quarantine, and she has said clearly that they made a mistake,’ Dentzer said. ‘But let’s put it in a broader perspective.’”
To the point above, I would ask: “What perspective might that be?”
Translation into a corporate culture
Whether a staunch environmentalist deciding to trudge through a closed area because she thinks she can or a physician in a quarantine situation deciding to go to a restaurant because she might believe she knows better, have a great deal in common with corporate abuses.
In counseling corporate executives and in speaking to groups across the country, I am always addressing situations where organizations lack controls and ethical training. Without an ethical framework and a system of controls to ensure that everyone in the organization essentially abides by the same sets of rules, chaos and a sense of entitlement can result.
Dr. Nancy Snyderman has been very successful as a medical correspondent; 17 years’ worth. In a game such as broadcasting, 17 years’ represents a very long time. However, unless there is an ethical framework and controls in place, it is possible to begin to cut a few corners here and there – and those corners can sometimes take employees to places they should not be going.
In truth, I have no doubt that Dr. Snyderman felt she posed no threat to anyone around her, even though her cameraman contracted the disease. Nevertheless, her choice to take it upon herself to break the rules and then cover it up, is potentially leading her to consequences. Listeners who were once loyal to her, no longer trust her. For a broadcast journalist, especially a medical correspondent who was arrogant in her disregard of what was and was not ethical behavior, can be a career ending choice. She parallels dozens of CEOs, CFOs and other executives over the past few decades who felt themselves above scrutiny and often, above the law. Invariably, everyone who acts outside of proper ethical behavior suffers the consequences.
At the time of this writing, the world is waiting and watching to see where Ebola is going to take us. Has the threat quieted? Will it re-emerge in other continents? Will it fade into history or become a pandemic? We just don’t know. However, the question remains of whether we trust Nancy Snyderman to ever report again on the disease – or anything else for that matter?
That question is equally as baffling.