Unnecessary eye surgeries cost government millions Google news overview
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 4:34 am
Stumbling blocks
But even if you want to respond to the speed of the new media as a government organization, you sometimes run into organizational and political stumbling blocks. “We want a reaction here and now,” say the new media. You would like to, but you also have to be able and allowed to.
Eye surgeries
We saw a good example of this a month ago. On Wednesday morning, July 10, the Flemish business newspaper De Tijd reported that ophthalmologists are increasingly opting for expensive operations to cure a simple ailment. This yields more for doctors and patients. This evolution is accompanied by a major cost increase (84 percent) for the government, more specifically for the government organization responsible for this, the RIZIV, or National Institute for Sickness and Disability Benefits. The story appeared in small print on the front page and was highlighted on page five.
Unnecessary eye surgeries cost government millions De Tijd
Belga news agency and online newspapers
The story was picked up in the early morning (i.e. at 4:50 am) by the Belga news agency.
Unnecessary eye surgeries cost government millions BELGA
In today's media era, an appearance on the Belga news agency (just like a report on the ANP news reel) means that the report is almost immediately taken over by the online newspapers (see below). Early birds on Twitter and Facebook then ensure further distribution.
New times
The person who monitors the media for the government organization RIZIV will not, as in the past, find a small fire in the business newspaper De Tijd at 7 o'clock in the morning. He or she will open the laptop and find a whole forest fire. Starting at De Tijd, walking over the news agency Belga and then going in all directions in the online newspapers, articles that in turn are amplified by Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
No more small fire in De Tijd like before. The entire internet is on fire slovenia mobile phone number list And that at 7 o'clock in the morning. And where you used to be able to make a phone call to the journalist of the article, who then hopefully also brought your story the next day, you now have to immediately follow the news. Because the news is everywhere.
As said before, real time has become everything. A more concrete example of how media times have changed is not possible.
No response
Work to be done for the morning shift of the communications team of that government organization, you would think. At least, if they feel that they are being unfairly attacked in the article. But apparently the government organization does not consider the story to be reputational damage, has no need to provide additional explanation and background, and apparently the figures are also correct – because there is no response from the government organization that day. It remains quiet for a whole day.
Response
The next day, one more newspaper publishes the story in its printed edition and De Tijd lets an eye surgeon speak. And that's where the story ends. At least, that's what you'd think. Because what happens on Friday afternoon? At 17:40, a Belga message appears with a response from the government organization (that's more than 60 hours after the original Belga message)<;
But even if you want to respond to the speed of the new media as a government organization, you sometimes run into organizational and political stumbling blocks. “We want a reaction here and now,” say the new media. You would like to, but you also have to be able and allowed to.
Eye surgeries
We saw a good example of this a month ago. On Wednesday morning, July 10, the Flemish business newspaper De Tijd reported that ophthalmologists are increasingly opting for expensive operations to cure a simple ailment. This yields more for doctors and patients. This evolution is accompanied by a major cost increase (84 percent) for the government, more specifically for the government organization responsible for this, the RIZIV, or National Institute for Sickness and Disability Benefits. The story appeared in small print on the front page and was highlighted on page five.
Unnecessary eye surgeries cost government millions De Tijd
Belga news agency and online newspapers
The story was picked up in the early morning (i.e. at 4:50 am) by the Belga news agency.
Unnecessary eye surgeries cost government millions BELGA
In today's media era, an appearance on the Belga news agency (just like a report on the ANP news reel) means that the report is almost immediately taken over by the online newspapers (see below). Early birds on Twitter and Facebook then ensure further distribution.
New times
The person who monitors the media for the government organization RIZIV will not, as in the past, find a small fire in the business newspaper De Tijd at 7 o'clock in the morning. He or she will open the laptop and find a whole forest fire. Starting at De Tijd, walking over the news agency Belga and then going in all directions in the online newspapers, articles that in turn are amplified by Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
No more small fire in De Tijd like before. The entire internet is on fire slovenia mobile phone number list And that at 7 o'clock in the morning. And where you used to be able to make a phone call to the journalist of the article, who then hopefully also brought your story the next day, you now have to immediately follow the news. Because the news is everywhere.
As said before, real time has become everything. A more concrete example of how media times have changed is not possible.
No response
Work to be done for the morning shift of the communications team of that government organization, you would think. At least, if they feel that they are being unfairly attacked in the article. But apparently the government organization does not consider the story to be reputational damage, has no need to provide additional explanation and background, and apparently the figures are also correct – because there is no response from the government organization that day. It remains quiet for a whole day.
Response
The next day, one more newspaper publishes the story in its printed edition and De Tijd lets an eye surgeon speak. And that's where the story ends. At least, that's what you'd think. Because what happens on Friday afternoon? At 17:40, a Belga message appears with a response from the government organization (that's more than 60 hours after the original Belga message)<;