TV crews on Covid wards - is it OK

I brought this up on an earlier thread and the general agreement was that the public needs to see what’s going on in the wards. I agree with you, dolphindaisy, I think we can do without the hospital visits. They’re a distraction and are using up much-needed PPE.

I agree Maggie. Only essential personnel should be allowed in. I don't believe we need to see what is happening and the poor very ill patients.

I did say this to DH the other evening and the fact that they are wearing PPE which is needed by staff.

I've wondered for ages why they're allowed in at all

It is bad enough when they are hovering around the front entrance but to be allowed in a ward during a pandemic is a disgrace.

Every part of life and death seems to be open house for journalists nowadays.

It sometimes seems like voyeurism

If I was the ward sister they would be gone!

They always point out that they have donated PPE to replace what they have used, but I don’t think we need to be seeing the wards night after night.

It has made me uncomfortable too. Reporters do like to be at "the heart of the matter", but I feel that it's a bit too close for comfort.

We don’t need to see numerous visits in different hospitals. Sadly we all are aware now what it looks like if we were previously fortunate enough not to have seen inside an ICU. I’ve heard them mention a few times they’ve donated PPE to replace what they’ve used. Maybe they should donate what they have without using any and keep out

I agree that they should not be there, especially wasting precious PPE.

I think it's all worth it if the public sit up and take notice. It might just encourage them to take the situation seriously, stick to isolation and social distancing. We need to see the reality.

Oh, I think most people are taking this seriously.
The idiots who are not will not be watching the news on the tv.

the public

They are not an homogenous mass.

I think that people in hospital are entitled to privacy, so no, I don't think that reporters should be there unless they have informed consent from everyone concerned, which I'm pretty sure they can't have, as the patients are so ill.

Hetty - are you not part of the public? You seem to be setting yourself apart from the rest of us for some reason.

It’s so wrong

The intrusive behaviour of the press realy does upset me; there is no sensitivity even at the worst of times. 'So, how do you feel now that your whole family has been killed ?' while zooming in. Unbearable - and if I were in an ICU the last thing I would need is a cameraman and reporter.

I would be horrified if I was in hospital and pictures of me in distress (and without my makeup!) was shown on TV.

I also complained the the TV companies when they had reporters outside St Thomas’s Hospital when Boris was there when we had already been told that any announcements on his health would only be made from No. 10.

We need to see what is going on in those wards just to stop those who think its ok not to socially distance etc.
ALSO, if you heard the reporters THEY TAKE IN THEIR OWN PPE so not taking away from the staff

I agree with Hetty. Unfortunately there are people who will say things are not as bad as we are told and it is 'fake news'. This brings home the seriousness of the situation and maybe make some folk who think it will be ok to pop out a few extra times, or mix with family to think again. In any broadcasts I have not seen anyone's privacy affected and the journalists say they have used their own PPE or donated. I also think that most patients would accept this reporting if it helped stop someone else become so ill with this awful virus.

I don’t think they should be there either. I know the press have a job to do but they try to get as much drama as possible. I remember at the start of lockdown one reporter interviewing someone who had held his father’s hand as he died, it’s just not helpful. They’re also putting themselves and their families at risk and also risk spreading it to others when they really don’t need to be there. It’s wrong.

I don’t object to the filming in ICUs and some of the reporters say they are using their own PPE. It does showcase the brilliant work the staff are doing.
I object to the grief stricken relatives interviews. Why on earth do they want to make a public display? 15 minutes of fame? The death of a loved one is a tragedy best mourned in private not with TV viewers. Sorry but I use my off switch at such times.

I haven’t watched the news for a few weeks now, and reading these comments makes me understand why. I will carry on and just pick up news occasionally on my radio.

Re. the news people on wards: I think their job is to keep us informed about what the virus is really like. I also think it has another purpose - to frighten people into observing lockdown. We would not know the reality and horror of it at its worst otherwise. I did note that yesterday, an ITV report said that the hospital actually invited them in. So they must have wanted us to know the reality of things on the frontline. They are the ones, after all, who have to cope with the fallout. It is very sobering indeed.