Special Report: What's Behind Gupta's Spat with Moore

(updated below)

We all witnessed “Sicko” film director Michael Moore verbally body slam a flatfooted Wolf Blitzer on Monday.

We know what set Moore off: CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s factually challenged “reality check," to which Moore had alerted Gupta in an email sent to his staff before it first ran on June 29, 10 days before Blitzer played again prior to his interview with Moore. Nevertheless, Gupta ignored it, changing nothing. Moore's “Sicko” truth squad then posted a reality check, eviscerating Gupta’s claims. Last night, Gupta joined Moore on Larry King Live, where, in one of the most revealing moments, he responded to Moore’s point that the “one expert” in his report has deep ties to big pharma and conservative allies in government. Gupta replied, “His only affiliation is with Vanderbilt University. We checked it, Michael.” That, too, turns out to be utterly false.

On Monday, Wolf Blitzer had defended Gupta, saying he "is not only a doctor and neurosurgeon, but he's also an excellent, excellent journalist." To borrow Gupta’s John Stossel rhetoric, “but hold on.”

First, we also realize that Gupta is a rising star at CNN and that CNN, of course, is sponsored in part by the ad dollars of big pharma, which is aligned with big government to ensure the widest profit margins rather than exceptional and available healthcare access.

But what else would compel Gupta to pick this spat with Moore? To thrust himself so visibly into this story that he's become part of the story.

It’s as if he bent over backwards to contrive this fight. What reason might he have for ignoring Moore’s email? In addition to Gupta’s only admission of fault, which he dubiously blames on an “error of transcription,” how could he have gotten so many things wrong, either through misquoting, omitting necessary context or presenting false equivalences (yes, America has the highest rate of patient satisfaction among those with the opportunity to be patients, but not the 47 million without insurance)? Why would Gupta knowingly lean on a big pharma player for his facts and then lie about it? (If he’s not lying he’s an almost inconceivably incompetent journalist.) And finally, why would he continue to be so unrelenting after failing to justify even one viable instance where Moore had “fudged the facts”? Especially when, in the end, Gupta’s most vehement criticism of Moore is he used more than one source for his facts (perfectly sound as long as each source is accurate, which Gupta couldn’t prove otherwise); then Gupta admits to liking the film and applauding its importance.

Hmm.

Well, Dr. Gupta, who’s been steadily shaping a lucrative brand name for himself, wanting desperately to attain a one-man media empire akin to his pal Deepak Chopra, published a book this spring. The thing is, even with CNN simultaneously airing a complementary two-day documentary to coincide with the book’s release, it’s currently ranked an impressive 3,725 on Amazon’s list and 1,940 on Barnes and Noble’s. Regardless of his burgeoning brand name and ubiquitous face on CNN and part-time spots with Katie Couric over at CBS as well, Gupta’s book, to put it mildly, is not exactly flying off the shelves.

You don't need to be a neurosurgeon to do the marketing math.

Moore’s film is one of the most popular in the country and it’s about the healthcare system and it’s highly controversial. What better opportunity for Gupta to nurse his ailing book sales to health than to pick a fight with Moore? Don’t be surprised to see Gupta’s Chasing Life: New Discoveries in the Search for Immortality to Help You Age Less Today (good grief, he doesn’t disguise his desire to follow in Deepak Chopra’s footsteps, does he?) begin to climb out of the basement.

And then there’s the matter of the good doctor’s journalistic integrity, of which Blitzer defended with the blind loyalty a father might show a son.

But Gupta, “America’s Doctor,” is largely what you would expect. A bright man? Sure. A capable neurosurgeon? Apparently, yes. But, most assuredly, a company man. And an exceedingly opportunistic climber at that.

As an embedded reporter for CNN with the U.S. Navy’s medical unit, the "Devil Docs," Gupta was supposed to report the story but became the story. Sound familiar? As his CNN bio boasts, he “performed brain surgery five times” during that assignment.

As Frank Rich noted at the time, in the op-ed "The Spoils of War Coverage":

At CNN, a noble effort by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, an embedded medical reporter, to rescue an injured 2-year-old Iraqi boy by performing on-the-scene brain surgery was milked for live reports. Lest anyone not grasp the most important moral of this incident, Dr. Gupta himself declared that ''it was a heroic attempt to try to save the child's life'' after the child had died.

One year later, in a 2004 interview in Emory Magazine, this is revealed:

He has written a pilot for a television series about his experiences in Iraq that he just sold to ABC. The series, he says, is “M.A.S.H. on speed.”

Ironic, isn’t it? How many episodes of M.A.S.H. were there where Hawkeye exposes a character for being a grandstanding self-interested phony?

Oh, by the way, the interview also relates how much Gupta “enjoys driving his Jaguar XK8.” Of course. And my point isn't that he drives this car, but rather the mentality of someone who feels the need to mention this in an interview without any awareness, or care, of its elitist overtones - especially when he owes much of his fame to those experiences in Iraq, a place from which he seems to have blithely moved on with his life while leaving our soldiers behind. So, you see, when Michael Moore also blamed Dr. Gupta for helping to sell the war in Iraq, he was on the money. Literally and figuratively. It would be unseemly enough if Gupta mentioned such a thing in an interview today, but, remember, he said this back in 2004, just a year after his stint there. 

The spoils of war, indeed.

To give you a better idea of Gupta’s style as a journalist, check out these embarrassing reports (some, again, reminiscent of ABC hack John Stossel, the “myth-busting” journalist who also built a brand name on disingenuous and inane reporting):

Blinded by Science (Columbia Journalism Review, December 2004):

Nevertheless, a media frenzy ensued, with journalists occasionally mocking and questioning the Raelians while allowing their claims to drive the coverage. CNN’s medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, provided a case in point. When he interviewed Boisselier following her press conference, Gupta called Clonaid a group with “the capacity to clone” and told Boisselier, credulously, “We are certainly going to be anxiously awaiting to see some of the proof from these independent scientists next week.”

Childhood Obesity – Blame It on Mom (CNN report, July 2005):

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, good morning, Kiran. I was a little -- talk about blaming women. I have to be a little careful here.

Women have been blamed for everything going back to the Garden of Eden for sure. But we're taking a look at some -- some people believe that working mothers may actually be contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. We decided to take a look at this controversial theory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SINGER: Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' --

GUPTA (voice over): Working 9 to 5 was a movie and a mantra in the 1980s, as American women entered the workforce en masse. That's about the same time that American kids started packing on the pounds.

[...]

GUPTA: So, did working women lead to chubbier children? Well, 16 percent of children six and older are overweight. That is triple the number from 1980.

Women Like Sex! Jobs Are Hard Work! Menopause Is No Fun! (Columbia Journalism Review, April 2006):

Yesterday, in a groundbreaking report on CNN's American Morning, senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta delivered some startling news: women like sex. They like love. And -- brace yourself -- they want intimacy.

In his report, "Sex and love starting at 30" -- part of CNN's series on life in the 30s, 40s and 50s -- the good doctor found a knowledgeable psychologist who helped him greatly in rehashing a number of surprising truths about adult women.

Anchor Soledad O'Brien got viewers warmed up with some self-evident generalities. [...] After O'Brien declared "All right, let's talk about sex" to the tune of the 1991 Salt 'N Pepa classic, Dr. Gupta took charge, relying heavily on the practiced observations of one Linda Klaitz.

"Popular TV shows like Sex & The City suggest women in their 30s are open to talking about sex," Gupta said. "But Dr. Linda Klaitz says a lot of women in their 30s are also interested in falling in love and settling down." Cue Klaitz: "In their 30s, I think there's a huge focus on procreation and finding a partner and having children." (People having kids in their 30s? Who knew?)

Making long-distance video diagnoses (NY Times blog Screens, February 2007):

Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s dashing doctor, talked to Screens about whether playing doctor on your laptop is ethical or, failing that, even possible.

It’s not ethical. As Dr. Gupta said, “One of the basic tenets of medicine is that we can’t make a diagnosis without physically laying hands on a patient.”

I asked about how Anna Nicole often looked a little out of it.

“You can’t say, ‘She was slurring her words with Entertainment Tonight a week ago; that’s why she died,’” Dr. Gupta replied. “I will say I saw the video where she was getting her picture taken with Hulk Hogan and Don King. She didn’t look ill and she doesn’t look like someone who suffered from a long-lasting illness.”

“An excellent, excellent journalist”? Talk about fudging the facts.

UPDATE: On July 9, the day Gupta's "reality check" set up Moore's interview with Blitzer, his book sat at #3,725 on Amazon's sales list. On July 11, following that initial setup and then Gupta and Moore's debate on Larry King Live, the book jumped to #1,399. Today, it's dipped back a bit to #1,982. Though that's still mountains above its previous plateau. Maybe Moore should request a royalty check from the good doctor.

Comments

[MediaBloodhound]

What's Behind Gupta's Spat with Moore

[louise]

The media outlets are wholly responsible for the demise of our Country!

[rickygee]

Gupta's work is done: sew some doubt that willfully misinformed folks can use to discount everything they find uncomfortable or otherwise indefensible in Moore's film.

Works everytime.

[Thursday]

The most alarming thing about his "report" on Moore's movie was how inept it was.

Think CNN is still feeling the sting of constant badgering by the dittoheads, so now they're trying a Vichy France appeasement?

[Thursday]

The most alarming thing about his "report" on Moore's movie was how inept it was.

Think CNN is still feeling the sting of constant badgering by the dittoheads, so now they're trying a Vichy France appeasement?

Gupta is a slick, slimy creep.

[Phillip]

All Gupta's really did was just bashed the movie, which really does no one any good. It was an amazing blind-side, just before Moore was about to go on the air to talk about his movie. You would think that CNN would want to have a positive conversation about the movie and the very important healthcare issue.

It is amazing that his "fact checking" report said absolutely nothing positive about the movie. It was just a fluff piece talking about a few facts in a movie about a very important topic.

It is also amazing that a smart guy like Gupta just seems to miss the point. He nit picks about some facts, but misses the bigger point, that Moore is out there talking about the healthcare problem. Moore should be commend for making it an issue and stirring up the soarly needed conversation. That should be incredibly commended. I do not see Gupta out there taking on the problem and forcing politicians to face the healthcare issue. Where are his journalistic skills in really addressing healthcare in the U.S.? As a Doctor/journalist he should be in Washington questioning the politicians about what they are doing on the healthcare issue. The public consistently considers it one of the most important issues.

At the end of the day I am afraid Gupta is really just another guy looking to cash in on his media fame.

Although certainly controversial you have to commend Moore for taking on the biggest issues of the day: guns/culture of violence, healthcare, Iraq war, and reckless corporate downsizing in his movies. Truly amazing. We should have a couple a dozen Michael Moores in the U.S. He should be considered a hero for trying to make the country a better place.

[Terri]

Gupta can't slam Moore's film without looking like an ass. I imagine that most of us have had experience with our broken health industry or know someone who has. The time has finally come where people are beginning to see what is happening in this country and the propagandists are showing their hands when they attempt to deny the reality we're all seeing. I'm glad Gupta just lost credibility. He's a stooge who's been irritating me for a LONG time.

[Jack Jett]

It was obvious by the fact that he, Gupta, had no meat in his content. It is clear he is a media whore. It is very clear that his financial future is dependent on the pharma companies and insurance companies. His priority is his career and it is clear he doesn't give a shit about healthcare in general

It seems rather silly for him to take on Michael Moore. Moore is way out of his league. Now I see Gupta more as a Judge Judy or Dr. Phil.

He was the clear loser in this debate.

Jack Jett
www.jackejett.com

[bughunter]

rickygee is correct. Everytime SICKO comes up, the wingnuts (who must attack Moore because of F-911) will spew out Gupta's bogus criticisms, despite these points having been disproven each and everytime they were spewed previously. And these wingnuts will continue to be given airtime and column space, despite their history of continual inaccuracies.

It happens every time, on every subject, in every forum, because these wingnuts are the favorites of the corporate media.

[IhaveNOinssurance]

I know M Moore makes everything more dramatic and that is why many ppl think a lot of stuff in his films isnt true or blown out of proportion, but still; he's dramatic about stuff that matters; school shootings(gun control),9/11(iraq war/bush) and now health care(broken-rotten system), he said it on CNN, all he wants wants is to create debate, since we all know presidential candidates avoid talking about this issues.

[curmudgeon]

CNN has, like Faux News, become an extended 24/7 infomercial for their large corporate sponsors.

[Dean]

Gupta is more interested in his eye makeup and teeth whitener then in any humanitarian cause. I find it mindboggling that while Michael Moore is sincerely trying to better humanity by investigating these issues better than anyone, all superficial naysayers like Gupta can do is nitpick. Sanje didn't offer a single solution except to whine - obviously because he doesn't want his fat paycheck threatened. He is a self-centered jerk.

[me]

> fat paycheck threatened.
Do you think his paycheck is like the picture of Dorian Gray? The more lies he tells, the fatter and uglier it gets. Then one day he'll start cashing it, and all that vileness will start to show up on his face...

[Don B]

The good doctor just throws this crap out there for those 50 million-plus stupid jackasses who voted for Dubya, and , the dopes that they are, take it and run with it. Moore is just trying to keep the debate onn health care afloat while trying to educate those nimrods.

[michael]

Apples and oranges. Moore exposing the awful truths, Gupta part of the status quo trying to cover it up. I'm surprised he didn't pull its all Bill Clinton's fault card.

[history is a weapon]

This is a good post, but CNN should get hammered over this. FAIR already has an action alert (http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3135), but lefty blogs should coordinate. If there are no repercussions for such blatant dishonesty, there's no reason to think any of this will change. And if CNN wants to stand by their company man in the face of such clear and willful dishonesty, then maybe liberals will come to terms with CNN being just as rightwing as the Fox.

[Past Believing]

CNN had lost all of their credibility by 2003. Their management apparently decided they could get better ratings if they followed fox's example. The problem was that fox was for people that got tired of hearing the truth. CNN's audience expected news. Now there is no real news on television. They've all been bought one way or the other. That is the message that needs to get out. Notice that with all of the lies that are regularly told about Iraq on air, even a majority of Republicans believe that the surge isn't working. They know that their piety and patriotism are fake. The only thing that is real about Republicans is their thirst for greed and power. They will tell any lies to get what they want. They will condone murder, torture, and rape to get their tax cuts. Sound like a stereotype? Has anyone heard the stereotype "Liberal Democrat"?

[martin springfield]

"I know M Moore makes everything more dramatic and that is why many ppl think a lot of stuff in his films isnt true or blown out of proportion"

Well, this is what the moonbat right wing Talking Points want you to believe.

But what I think is really the case is that Moore presents intrinsically dramatic material that our fascist (a more accurate but I suppose also more "dramatic" word than "corporate") media wilfully ignore.

Case in point: F911. Until that movie, most Americans didn't know that in response to 9/11 Bush sat stupidly staring into space while gradeschoolers read from some inane book; that Colin Powell was on videotaped record in 2001 saying Saddam was contained and had no WMD; that the Bush family had business and personal ties to the Bin Laden family; that the Bin Laden got to fly around the nation while a no-fly rule was in effect, then flee the nation as soon as it was lifted; etc. etc.

When the wingnuts went to find inaccuracies, what did they find? That Moore "overstated" the extent of David Horowitz's 60s radicalism?

As the above mentioned hack John Stossel would say, give me a break.

[Michele]

Gupta's an idiot. He misses important context in most of his stories and is clearly aiming for ratings, not public enlightenment. Given that he's not even adept at fudging through his ignorance and bias, I predict he'll have a short career.

I've written to him several times to correct information he's either misrepresented or omitted entirely about rare genetic diseases that are associated with obesity (Prader-Willi, Alstrom syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome) and research interest in how the genes that cause these disorders may be contributing to the current "epidemic" of obesity. I have provided him with volumes of peer-reviewed material detailing the recently defined mechanisms by which these genes contribute to obesity. He's not interested and prefers the tabloid intensity of a riled up audience purposely kept ignorant to insure ratings. Obesity is one of the few remaining physical challenges that the public is able to discriminate against with no fear of social ostracism and it is truly sickening to see a supposed news organization tap into this prejudice for ratings.

I want to be clear that I am not an apologist for obesity (nor am I obese myself), blaming it all on genetic factors. I am a scientist who truly wants to understand this phenomenon and who believes the current desire to simplify the problem by assassinating the character of the obese is leading to bad science and those who engage in this behavior are culpable. Obesity is no doubt a multi-factorial problem. However, the notion of gene involvement at least at some level is a fact and it should not be ignored in favor of ratings.

In Gupta's case, this is doubly tragic since several of these genetic disorders are related to the structure/function of organelles called cilia that are found in most cells of the body and are ubiquitous in the brain—both as sensory organelles in individual cells and in massive quantities in the ventricles of the brain where they function as filtering system for cerebral spinal fluid. As a neurosurgeon, he has a professional obligation to inform himself of developments in brain biology. As a journalist he has a professional obligation to get it right. In both areas he appears to favor ratings over professionalism.

[Tony]

Someone should be asking how much big pharma stock and HMO stock Gupta owns.

[Stimplove]

Good report from you folks at MBH. Thanks.
But one point I haven't seen touched on is that Gupta being a very good physician (which I'll bet he is) doesn't qualify him to report or comment on health-care public policy. He may know how to treat people for illnesses, but that doesn't mean he knows jack about how to run a large health-care system.
To use an analogy, just because someone is an awesome mechanic, does that mean he/she surely can manage a garage or (more aptly) a chain of garages?
No, right? So why should Dr. Gupta be trusted on public policy matters?

[Victor]

[Edited by site owner. Sorry, racist comments unacceptable.]

[stogoe]

CNN's not even trying to hide their corporatist suckling any more. We need to take the FCC back from the media owners and start regulating our airwaves for the public good again. A thousand percent more antitrust investigations might help, too.

[Oz]

You know why CNN went to such lengths to pick a fight with Moore?

Look to any ad break, and cee if Cialis is right for you, while applying Head On directly to your forehead.

Remember back when the Dubai Ports World scandal was heating up? CNN was all over it - UNTIL - Wolf Blitzer was flown out to UAE to do a series of reports on how awesome DBW (and the UAE) was.

After a week of that, no more scandal. And what followed? Ads from the Dubai Tourist Commission.

CNN is not news. And that's hardly news.