Voice of the People?

Aside from standing naked in your high school cafeteria, it is your worst nightmare.

You're a journalist, about to miss your deadline, and none of your contacts will return your calls.

This same scenario happened to me when searching for comments about the recent election of Scott Brown to the Senate. After contacting nearly a dozen health care providers in Massachusetts, including Cooley Dickinson Hospital and a representative at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of Massachusetts, I had a great void of information, rather than the abundance that I had hoped for.

While the most recent senatorial race ended nearly two weeks ago, Massachusetts residents continue to feel the consequences of newly-elected Senator Scott Brown, a republican candidate who managed to overcome the historically democratic state. Especially in terms of health care and its future in Massachusetts and throughout the country, I attacked this investigation with vigor, eager to hear the speculations made by Massachusetts residents.

However, the lack of chatter was eery. I was disconnected various times via telephone, and ignored via email. Most often, the health care personnel that I spoke to were left speechless when I proposed my questions of Scott Brown's recent election.

As for the single response I received from Cooley Dickinson Public Relations Manager Christina Trinchero, it was simply, "I am unable to speculate as to how hospital personnel are feeling about the election of Scott Brown to the Senate seat." While she did offer to speak to the CEO of the hospital for his "input based on the issue of healthcare," I could tell that I would be receiving a generated response, which is not ideal for an investigative reporter.

While I was frustrated with the lack of opinions and information I was getting, this also correlated with the lack of voting which took place for the senatorial election to replace the late Edward Kennedy. So often, politics stir up emotions amongst the general public, and opinions run rampant, yet finding people to speak upon the topic of Scott Brown's election in relation to public health care was nearly impossible as a journalist. Could it mean that the future of health care is unknown, even to those who work in the profession?