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July 6, 2007
Blue Cross Feeling "Sicko"
Maybe this whole Internet transparency thing has gone a bit too far.
VP of Corporate Communications for Capitol Blue Cross Barclay Fitzpatrick goes to Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" and writes a pretty well-crafted reaction memo to his bosses. Basically his job is to help build and protect his employer's reputation, so going out and seeing a movie that has the potential to be damaging to his industry is prudent.
Someone leaks that memo back to Moore, and it appears on his blog with the requisite commentary.
So, my question is this - who is the real culprit here? Is it Fitzpatrick, who from what I can tell did nothing other than give his cogent opinion on the impact the movie would have on his employer? Is it Moore, who took what's basically a straightforward assessment of the movie and turned it into a "smoking gun" for his own gain? Or is it the employee who for whatever reason felt compelled to forward an internal, confidential memo?
Here's what I think...
- Fitzpatrick was doing his job ethically and responsibly. (Fair disclosure -- I know him and he used to work for a client of our firm). However, if the memo truly was confidential, then it should have been sent internally to a very select few people who could be trusted. Obviously that wasn't the case.
- Moore was doing what he always does -- taking whatever information he can get and using it to further his cause. He is not, nor has he ever been, a journalist. He is, however, an excellent storyteller.
- While the employee who leaked the memo will likely try to hide behind "whistle blower" laws, I think he or she should be fired immediately. There was nothing criminal about the memo -- and sending it externally is a violation of employer-employee trust. Nowhere is it written that everything a company talks about needs to be laid bare for public (and competitor) consumption.
My thoughts, however unpopular they may be. What do you think?
Posted by Matt Kucharski at July 6, 2007 12:58 PM
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Comments
Comparing the impact of this leak with the potential negative impact of the actual movie – I think the memo is the least of concerns for BCBS.
If anything Fitzpatrick may have scored a small victory when Moore decided to release his talking points. Having not yet seen the movie, I can only assume that it didn't cover Fitzpatrick's full side of the story.
That being said it still does not excuse a BCBS employee from leaking a confidential document. If they can find the culprit, I agree that they should be fired immediately.
As for Moore – journalist or not, he is still a very influential blogger, which in my opinion makes him a member of the media. His lack of ethics in this situation only hurts the efforts put forth by many other bloggers trying to gain credibility as journalists.
Posted by: Allan at July 11, 2007 8:29 AM
From my brother -- we finally agree on something! Here's his comment. Now let's see what Mom -- the other reader of this blog -- says....
(Start of Comment)
I agree; that person should be dismissed for their action. However, with the employment laws being the way they are, the ensuing legal battle can be dicey if the argument for the action is not solid.
In many situations companies, for lack of a better phrase, "get what they deserve" with respect to bad press. Conversely, I have seen many instances where companies suffer unjustly due to a employee's lack of discretion in certain circles. We were taught that discussion/disclosure of certain topics and actions are not acceptable in many environments and generally the higher up a person is on the ladder, the more critical that premise becomes.
Posted by: Tom Kucharski at August 2, 2007 2:48 PM