Governor Noem Responds to False CNN Report

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Governor Noem Responds to False CNN Report

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem responded to a false CNN report claiming that hospitalizations are “surging” in Pennington County. The report, which aired on February 8, 2022, also shamed attendees of the Black Hills Stock Show and violated HIPPA by improperly including footage of patients.

“South Dakotans deserve the facts so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and their loved-ones. Unfortunately, CNN’s claims about COVID-19 in Pennington County were not factual,” said Governor Noem. “This political hit job ignored the mountains of factual data that we sent to them. We are demanding a correction.”

“South Dakota will continue to focus on working together to take care of people who get sick with COVID-19,” Noem continued. “We will not allow divisive out-of-state media outlets to get in the way of the partnerships between the State of South Dakota and our excellent hospital systems.”

Because of HIPAA violations in CNN’s coverage, Monument Health has also requested that the false story be retracted:

“A six-hour visit by CNN was summarized inaccurately in the story referenced. The quotes pulled were taken out of context to support a narrative that simply is not true,” said Robin Zebroski, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications at Monument Health. “Monument Health has seen a steady decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, and the overall testing positivity rate has gone down as well. We strongly support Governor Noem and are disappointed by the CNN report.”

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Pennington County peaked three weeks ago, on January 18, 2022. Since then, they have declined by 32%.

“CNN did not reach out to the South Dakota Department of Health for this story. The Department of Health and the Governor’s Office provided data to be included in their story, but CNN ignored it,” said Joan Adam, Interim Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Health. “Governor Noem and the Department of Health will continue to work with our hospital systems to take care of people and ensure that up-to-date data is available to all South Dakotans. To find resources and facts, visit COVID.SD.gov.”

You can read the false CNN report here.

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9 thoughts on “Governor Noem Responds to False CNN Report”

  2. It seems you failed to find anything inaccurate about her response to the CNN false report so you make fun of HIPPA and loved ones.
    Perhaps you grew up un-loved?

    1. CNN can’t have a hippa violation because they don’t fall under hippa regulations. If the hospital granted them access, the hospital would be violating hippa, not the news media.

    2. I’m not sticking up for CNN because all cable news sucks. But there’s no such thing as HIPPA and for the Gov’s office to use it makes them look dumb.

  3. Back in the 80s a nurse I worked with described a bad experience at another hospital she had worked in. The hospital administration had allowed a news crew to come in and do a story on something. They naively believed it would show the hospital in a good light, but instead it was a hit piece, and made the hospital look like a death trap: statements made by staff were taken out of context, and video of overflowing linen bins and trash cans were focused on to make the place look unsanitary. (Easy to do if you ignore how fast those things are emptied.) You can make a really bad impression by simply showing a split second video of a door labeled “morgue,” for example. She said “it left a really bad taste in their mouths.”
    You would think hospital administrators would get the word out amongst themselves to avoid such debacles.
    Every reporter has their own agenda and footage is carefully gathered to support the narrative.
    CNN producers might have sworn they would only get video of people who had given permission to be on camera and then done whatever they wanted once they were inside the building.

  4. Pat, I watched the video and read the article. I could not find any reference to the Stock Show or some of the other accusations in your story here. Am I missing something? This all appears to be blown out of proportion – especially from the Governors office.

    1. Black Hills Bob at 3:08…

      Yep, no mention of the stock show. Wonder if maybe it was on a longer piece shown earlier that’s since been edited down.

      Still, the story’s a crock. Only 13 percent of all beds, and 30 percent of ICU beds, have virus patients. Also, Black Hills hospitals are at 70 percent capacity, about normal for this time of year. Monument’s vice president of medical affairs tells us he’s seen a “rise in the range of 60 percent” in covid admissions. OK, that would mean they were at 45 and went to 70. Sounds scary, but given the available beds, they have plenty of capacity to handle that increase. Conclusion: No one’s overwhelmed.

  5. the CNN report is actually amusing.
    They criticize Noem for not giving medical advice, because she says it should be left up to medical providers. In other words she thinks people should get their medical information from doctors, not politicians and reporters. And they interview a doctor who complains that she has burdened all the medical professionals by making them responsible for telling their patients what to do.

    But she’s got a TV spot out now telling people to not bother their doctors if they get a positive result with an at-home covid test. That will keep the doctor happy: if you get covid, don’t tell your doctor.

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