Thirty-three members of the NYC City Council are demanding that local hospitals stop letting reality-TV crews film people as they die. Apparently that’s a problem.
“When you go into a hospital, you deserve to know that your darkest moments won’t wind up on prime time,” said Councilman Daniel Garodnick in a press conference yesterday. He was joined by Anita Chanko, whose husband’s last moments were shown on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s NY Med without her permission or her knowledge. Chanko only found out about it when she stumbled across an episode while channel surfing one night. Though her husband’s face was blurred out, Chanko recognized his voice as he struggled in the hospital after being hit by a sanitation truck. “I actually watched my husband die in front of my eyes,” she said at the press conference.
Lawyers for New York-Presbyterian Hospital have claimed that Chanko’s right to privacy ended with his life, but City Council members are hoping hospitals will leave aside legal arguments and restrict camera access as a sign of respect for patients.
