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Photo-ops a health hazard for politicians

If staged event doesn't go well, all people remember is the mishap, and not the message

By: Dan Lett

25/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 5

Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen speaks next to his Health Critic Myrna Driedger, centre, and Bretton Tyler, who already has an insulin pump.

JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen speaks next to his Health Critic Myrna Driedger, centre, and Bretton Tyler, who already has an insulin pump.

Ah, the political gods are a cruel bunch, and no one knows that better than Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen.

At a news conference Tuesday, McFadyen tried to deliver a smackdown on the NDP government. Instead, he served up a healthy dose of bad luck with a side of irony.

McFadyen was making a campaign-style pledge to help children with juvenile diabetes. The Tories had stacked their legislative caucus room with two dozen children who suffer from juvenile diabetes, and their families, to press the province to provide insulin pumps. It's a good issue; the current government does not do this, even though it's standard in other provinces.

Although next provincial election is still 23 months away, the Tories pledged that should they form government, they would spend $2.1 million to buy insulin pumps for Manitobans under 18 who suffer from Type 1 diabetes.

And then, a young lad who suffers from diabetes and who was wearing an insulin pump fainted from what was later reported to be low blood sugar.

Depending on your political bent, this was either a minor setback that derailed McFadyen's announcement, or a graphic demonstration of the seriousness of the issue. The only thing we know for sure is that it ended the news conference right there and then.

The fainting spell should not obscure the fact that McFadyen raised a valid issue. And on the heels of his revelation late last week that the province had spent more than $14 million to deliver a fancy new identification card that only 8,000 Manitobans are using (that's $1,700 per card), he's on a roll.

However, Tuesday's incident is yet another reminder of how little wiggle room politicians have to make mistakes when they are trying to funnel their message through the media.

(As an aside, I do not like it when politicians invite victims to serve as props at news conferences. It is a risky strategy, in large part because of unavoidable complications like the ones witnessed Tuesday. But also because it is essentially a misguided strategy. There is a belief by some political strategists that to show the public you are standing with a victim, you have to be physically standing beside them. It's not necessary -- most media would rather interview real-life victims outside of the legislature -- and inadvertently portrays the citizens who appear at these events as shills, and not the average folk they probably are. But I digress.)

It is important to note that this is not just a Tory affliction. As long as there have been podiums, microphones and cameras, photo- ops have been backfiring on those who designed them.

Long-time political watchers may remember the 1995 provincial election, when an up-and-coming Liberal Leader Paul Edwards went glad-handing on Corydon Avenue on the first day of the campaign. Edwards inadvertently wandered directly in front of the Morgentaler abortion clinic, which suddenly put the Grit leader in a situation he never imagined he'd be in. An opportunistic journalist noticed the gaffe and immediately lobbed Edwards a "pro-life or pro-choice" question. A pro-lifer, Edwards found himself embroiled in an issue that was not supposed to be an issue in that election.

Or former Tory Premier Gary Filmon, who picked up a pool cue for an impromptu photo-op at a Forks bar while election stumping. Filmon did not realize he was standing in front of a bank of video lottery terminals, not the backdrop his handlers wanted. Tory staffers rushed to stand on either side of him to block out the VLTs; the Free Press ran a before picture, where you could see the machines, and an after picture with grim-faced staffers as human shields.

Travelling in northern Manitoba with former Premier Gary Doer in 2003, I was the only reporter to watch as an impromptu photo-op of the premier splitting a log turned into a 20-minute axe-wielding horror show. The log was green, but that didn't deter Doer from hammering away at the obstinate stump. Several times, glancing blows very nearly severed his leg. Both the photos and the accompanying story were not what the premier's handlers had in mind.

The photo-op is great when it goes well. But when an event falls apart, or suffers a completely inadvertent mishap, politicians have to live with the fact that sometimes, all people remember is the mishap and not the message.

In this instance, despite the fainting episode, it appears McFadyen got his message out. Most media outlets are reporting primarily about the shortage of insulin pumps, and not the fainting spell. But it serves as a reminder of just how incredibly hard it is to make politics look easy.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 25, 2009 A6

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5 Commentscomment icon

Let's see a child with diabetes faints and Lett is concerned about the irony in a political photo op. Well done Mr Lett.

You are so insightful into the issues facing Juvenile Diabetes.

Also nice to see that you are trying to rationalize your journalistic ethics. I would think that if you were comfortable with your story, you would find no need to defend yourself.

My political persuassion aside, the "mis-hap" as you all call it still sends a strong message. Diabetes is an awful disease and this young man's unfortunate experience hit the nail on the head...we need more attention drawn to this disease for many reasons..
1. There is nothing you can do to prevent gestational or juvenile diabetes.

2. While one can be prevented, the lifetime, 24/7 monitoring needed to stay healthy is daunting at best.

3. The instance of diabetes in our aboriginial and younger populations is on the increase. Financial cost aside, how much will this cost us in lost labour in teh future?

Just a few thoughts....

@ GJackson:
I understand your offended but there are a couple of things to remember.
First, I likely wouldn't have written that column if it was the only coverage of the issue raised by the Tories. With the comfort of knowing that Larry Kusch filed an entirely separate story dedicated solely to the issue of insulin pumps, it allowed me to look at a different aspect. So, although the message can be lost in the mishap, it didn't happen this time.
Second, when do mishaps like this become part of the story? Did it really matter to you that Stephane Dion's video address was out of focus. Based on your arguments, we should have ignored that and focused solely on what he said.
I find it is a no-win situation for journalists when they witness something like this. If you ignore it, then the opponents of the party making the announcement accuse you of sanitizing coverage. If you report on it, then it's gotcha journalism. Perhaps you could tell me the best approach.
The unflattering photo comment is the one that I probably agree with the most. I have, at times, objected to a particularly unflattering photo of a politician if I have the luxury of seeing the photo that has been selected ahead of time. I do not understand what we accomplish by running pictures of contorted faces. I don't think it's done on purpose (although I know you will disagree) but it's something we must be vigilant to avoid. IMHO.

The mishap is the message, even if you do everything right, diabetes will always throw you a curve ball. It is very hard for a human to mimic a human pancreas. Every day with diabetes is different especially in a growing child where there are growth spurts causing hormones to rage causing insulin requirements to double or triple and suddenly the body needs half the next day or later the same day. No what people perceive the message to be, diabetes is a 24/7/365 disease that allows on vacations, breaks and takes no prisoners, a person ( and family because if one person has it, the entire family has it), must be ever vigilant if one is to keep blood sugars stable and keep from suffering from complications. Any party whether in power or wanting to be in power will in long term be saving the province literaly hundreds of thousands of dollars which is what kidney disease, blindness, amputations and heart disease will cost the tax payers. IN other words to the powers that be, Pay now or Pay later but tax payers will in the end pay for the care of diabetes.

In this article, about PC leader Hugh McFayden's photo-op (gone wrong) extolling the virtues of provincial funding for insulin pumps, columnist Dan Lett states, ..."Tuesday's incident (the fainting of a young diabetic while wearing an insulin pump that is supposed to regulate his blood sugar to prevent same) is yet another reminder of how little wiggle room politicians have to make mistakes when they are trying to funnel their message through the media." He then states, near the end, ..."politicians have to live with the fact that sometimes, all the people remember is the mishap and not the message." Amazing! Of course we all know that rememberance of the mishap and not the message wouldn't have anything to do with cheap gotcha journalism that focuses on mishaps over content. And neither, we all also know would media ever want to sabotage an announcement/photo-op with the most unflattering photo or blown-out-of-all-proportion emphasis on a so-called mishap. Comforting. That's what is. Comforting. And reassuring, to know that media always put content, the important stuff first. No going off on tangents for them. No indeed! Why, it's enough to give one the warm fuzzies knowing that the media's always fair, respectful, honourable conduct towards public figures is front and centre in all they do. The warm fuzzies! And a toast, to the always honourable actions of the fourth estate.

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