AIBU to say it's none of their business?

[JanusLooksBothWays]

Air ambulance landed in a field on the outskirts of the village and an elderly resident was taken to hospital.

Journalist from the local paper has been knocking on doors in search of a story. Fair enough to report on the helicopter but they are asking people what was wrong with the resident.

Shouldn't medical details be confidential? Some of us do know but none of us would dream of telling the press. What right do they have to splash someone's medical history in their pages? Is that even legal without consent?

IABU to say they should just piss off?

Injuries and illnesses get reported on all the time after car crashes, accidents and what have you. "They were taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg / cardiac arrest / head injury" etc.

The journalist is behaving like a vulture but it's perfectly lawful as far as I'm aware.

YANBU but it’s how the press operates.

It's awful, isn't it?

I'm ok with it if people want to reveal the details but it's so wrong to try and get details from people who may not actually know anyway.

If they knocked on my door I would ask them how they would feel if someone were to ask people in the same manner in which they are now, about their loved ones, be it child, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother etc, and try to remind them that the person may be those things to someone, and speculation could be extremely damaging.

I just told him to go away. I think he got a lecture from a few residents. Vultures, as Lockheart said.

The media have no morals whatsoever. I wouldn't be surprised by this behaviour. I'm glad you told him where to go.

A doctor has to keep your medical information confidential, but people on the street are under no obligation to do so. And plenty of people are gossips!

I'm still seething. She's such a private person who would hate the speculation.

Word has spread that she's holding her own and all are united in determination to say nothing to the press.

It isn't anything of great interest just not anyone's business.

The journalist will be able to get factual info direct from the NHS press office. No names and scant medical details but age and circumstances, timings and whatnot, for sure. All emergency services share that will the media because it’s in the public interest. People are nosey, sure, but they are also concerned and want to know if someone is ok.
It sounds like the journalist was just fishing for the ‘colour’ and background to the incident. Which seems odd unless it was particularly public event like a bad road crash.

Yabu. You missed your opportunity to get him to make a knob of himself.

'Yes, Mrs Smith and the other members of the local allotment club are all secret ravers. Apparently it wasn't just that the most recent batch of crystal meth was particularly potent, but she was still coked up from the night before. You'd have to check with the vicar whether there was an actual fight in his shed during the mosh pit they held to radio 4, or if it was just the usual drug fuelled violence'

YANBU but they're ruthless. I have some sympathy for journalists starting out who are given the job of door knocking if they're polite and apologise for asking but I have no sympathy for anyone who shares information about someone else they wouldn't want the world knowing about themselves.

All emergency services share that will the media because it’s in the public interest.

But it isn't in the public interest. It's nobody's business if an elderly lady is taken ill/has a fall/faints/etc in her own home. The emergency services have no right to share medical details. None at all.

Seething all over again now.

Agreed. 'In the public interest' and 'the public are interested' are not the same thing.

A journalist wouldn’t tend to take an interest if it’s just a fall or something, that’s very personal and a local paper editor wouldn’t normally do much on it. However, the air ambulance is a charitably-run institution, it supports the NHS, it is very rarely scrambled and so it is notable purely by its presence when its used. The public will literally ring a newspaper office to ask why. So an editor will generally get the reporters to find out why and the NHS shares that. It’s public money so they’re accountable and that’s why they’re open without identifying a patient. They’re extremely protective of patients. If it’s a major RTC affecting roads, which is often why they’ve been scrambled (severe head and neck injuries) then it is in the public interest as the public is affected. However, if it’ll the case of this lady, it has been scrambled to help her after a fall, I’d expect the newspaper to cover it with the briefest of details, but for it to be covered purely because it was scrambled. She will not be identifiable by any reports. However, I do think doing door knocks for a fall is over the top and not usual local news behaviour.

Also don’t misunderstand, they don’t share medical details, just scant details of the incident. No one is going to be told what happened to her, just why the air ambulance was used.