Ethical Reporting

In today’s fast-paced business environment, one rarely has the opportunity to slow down, take stock of how the world of commerce functions, and be introspective about the right versus the wrong way to go about taking full advantage of our incredible free enterprise system. Usually, this pause comes when we are forced to evaluate our own view of the ethical versus the unethical in business practices. It is especially important for those of us responsible for reporting all of the facts about a particular industry to be extremely vigilant and protective of our mandate to inform.

This is one of those times, and I simply cannot let pass the responsibility to set the record straight concerning the obvious, inappropriate business tactics of one of our competitors, and to make certain that this industry which we all care about does not devolve into an unprofessional and amateurish caricature of itself. Our competitor has chosen to travel a path strewn with the debris of rumor, innuendo, and Byzantine politics. It is truly a shame to have to waste time responding to such an unproductive issue.

The situation to which I am referring involves yet a second unfair volley of words concerning our company recently published by Dynamic Chiropractic, a tabloid that competes for attention and advertising support with one of our 70 publications, Chiropractic Products magazine. Unwilling to provide our company with the opportunity to respond to wild and unfounded allegations by a disgruntled former employee, Dynamic Chiropractic proceeded to publish these allegations as if they were news. There is no news here. There is no industry issue requiring discussion. There is nothing but a blatant attempt to besmirch our good reputation in a sophomoric rendering of a bitter person’s personal vendetta.

It is neither newsworthy, nor are the allegations true, nor is it right and ethical for this competitor to add legitimacy to the ramblings of a former employee who clearly has an agenda. It is below the belt, even in this tough world of business. It is probably even defamatory, and our counsel is currently reviewing our options to protect our company from unfair and malicious competitive practices such as these.

I am gratified by the fact that our mission has been to help the chiropractic industry reach new heights in professionalism and ethics, and our company works diligently to provide top levels of journalism and education to our readers. It is also of interest to note that our competitor is known for this type of unprofessional behavior, so it is perhaps not surprising that they have chosen the less ethical route in this case as well.

Since we were not given the standard journalistic opportunity to comment on their inappropriate story, we would like to do so with any one of you who might be interested in hearing the truth. We would appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight and to keep the focus on the challenges we all face in meeting the true needs of this growing market. My direct email address is cpickelle@mwc.com.   Should you have any concerns, please contact me directly, and I will respond promptly. CP

Curtis Pickelle, president
Medical World Communications
cpickelle@mwc.com