should the press be exempt from adhering to HIPAA laws?

[1wellnessnurse]

Jason Pierre-Paul Lost His Finger. Did ESPN Violate HIPAA By Reporting It?

Here's the link to the article:

Jason Pierre-Paul Lost His Finger. Did ESPN Violate HIPAA By Reporting It? - Forbes

Jason Pierre-Paul, the star defensive end for the NFL's New York Giants, had one of his fingers amputated on Wednesday, ESPNreported.

It seems a hospital employee sold the protected health information to a reporter. I have no doubt that they will catch the hospital employee. My concern is that the reporter also stepped over the line and should also be punished. This is about more than an athlete who had his privacy violated; it's about the press being above the law.

Tell me what you think!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I remember back in the early 80's (pre-HIPAA?) when the newspapers were full of stories about President Reagan's hemmorhoids; it just flipped me out. I kept saying "WHY do we need to know about Reagan's hemmorhoid surgery?" It's not like it affected his overall health, it was no threat to national security. Can't a man's rectal woes remain private? Geeezzz!

My parents saved all of the newspapers from when us kids were born. What shocked me the most? Right next to the birth announcements was a section of hospital admissions and discharges!

[Altra, BSN, RN]

My parents saved all of the newspapers from when us kids were born. What shocked me the most? Right next to the birth announcements was a section of hospital admissions and discharges!

Yep - remember those. Unthinkable now, isn't it?

[No Stars In My Eyes]

I know of one small town paper that used to list all the ambulance calls and runs: where they went, what the complaint was, and what was done. They didn't name any names, but everybody knew from the address of the call who the people were.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I grew up in a small town, before HIPAA. I was in a community band where the brass section was 75% EMTs. They had the best stories.