text_1: The Cutting Edge: Robotic Surgery, Today!
text_2: Let’s start by saying there is nothing inherently wrong with a gee-whiz TV segment that does a live demo of cool new medical technologies. In a perfect world the segment would be coherent and would feel apropos of something, but even that is not essential. Television is an ideal medium for this kind of demonstration. The problem is that when they put the segment together, the producers disposed of fundamental journalistic practices as efficiently as the daVinci Si HD bags up old organs to throw them away. Even if we accept that this piece is nothing more than a few minutes of techno-tainment, it still has inexcusable, almost inconceivable lapses in journalistic hygiene. It does not say how much these technologies and treatments cost It doesn’t say whether any independent research has been done to verify the claims of benefits It does not mention risks It fails to explore what treatment options patients have, beyond assuming they are inferior It doesn’t seek opinion from anyone who can provide insight about whether and how these things improve care, if at all  Yes, it is wonderful, even inspiring to see a doctor peel a grape and thread a needle with these tools. It’s great entertainment and eye-opening. [See the video in order to appreciate how fun and fascinating the demo is. The transcript does not do justice to how engaging the segment is.] But as journalists, the producers were simply asleep at the switch. One hopes this would not be the case for the medical professionals who use these technologies on patients.