St. Jude is a fantastic charity that has fought tirelessly and relentlessly in the war on pediatric cancer.
And it’s high time that someone take ’em down a peg or two.
That’s where ProPublica comes in.
That'll teach them to interrupt my programs with those fund raising commercials
— Charles Zambori (@BaronVnOttomatc) November 12, 2021
Look out, St. Jude. ProPublica has their eyes on you.
You know St. Jude’s TV commercials. Your brain recognizes its logo on sight. You’ve heard the promise – “no family receives a bill” – a hundred times.
Branding tells a story. But not the full story. pic.twitter.com/nAT6JbILMm
— Ryan Gabrielson (@ryangabrielson) November 12, 2021
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital promises to never bill families for housing, travel, food or treatment. So why is this father sleeping in his truck in the hospital’s parking lot? @ryangabrielson and me on America's largest healthcare charity https://t.co/nWu6ErUyXp
— David Armstrong (@DavidArmstrongX) November 12, 2021
When @propublica inquired about @StJude’s treatment of families of patients, its lawyers blustered.
Then St. Jude quietly changed policies to address some of the issues being raised.
New policies start Monday.
Read the story today. https://t.co/jLrqDsHd70— Richard Tofel (@dicktofel) November 12, 2021
Get ’em, ProPublica! You get ’em real good!
Here’s an investigation into the dark side of a free hospital that treats children at no charge, and the dark side is that it doesn’t also pay their parents salaries or mortgage repayments https://t.co/NV53FeAkDi pic.twitter.com/2Ioo08Z0mM
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) November 12, 2021
“The dark side.”
“In some cases, hotel stays en route are provided only if families travel more than 500 miles to get to St. Jude” – just incredible that this is both a hit on the hospital *and* still needed to be caveated with “in some cases”
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) November 12, 2021
You know what’s even more incredible? That ProPublica would run with something like this.
“Journalism that holds power to account, like those rat fucks at St. Jude.” pic.twitter.com/zrlfsKIr2z
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) November 12, 2021
reposting this for no reason https://t.co/yRxnNL4mZo https://t.co/ScD0Zw62R8
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) November 12, 2021
CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski — who has devoted a great deal of time and energy to raising awareness of pediatric cancer and raising money for pediatric cancer research following his late daughter Francesca’s own cancer diagnosis — understandably takes issue with ProPublica’s article:
I have huge issues w/the framing of this article on St. Jude as someone who has written about/experienced financial burdens related to childhood cancer. It hangs a lot of these issues on SJ, when they're one of the only institutions trying to address themhttps://t.co/bgM82HFwrm
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 12, 2021
St. Jude's is one of the only children's hospitals that covers housing/travel/food. I have some issues w/their fundraising practices, but I don't think it's fair to hang this on them when it's a huge problem that probably can only be addressed w/legislation like paid leave… pic.twitter.com/BSk3PGJZ1y
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 12, 2021
…to help struggling families get immediate financial relief.
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 12, 2021
I have issues w/SJ. They don't accept everyone who doesn't qualify for trials and I don't like a lot of their ads because I don't think reflect the true nature of childhood cancer a lot of the time, but they do a lot of good work in addressing financial toxicity.
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) November 12, 2021
St. Jude isn’t perfect. No organization is. But if you’re looking for an organization devoted to fighting for sick children and their families, you can’t do much better than St. Jude.
So ProPublica wrote this terrible hit piece on St. Jude's because while the hospital provides life-saving medical care for children, it does not provide a safety net for families. Why don't ProPublica's wealthy donors step in to cover those costs? https://t.co/Yu59bEqMk3 pic.twitter.com/nP1VEcza7N
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 12, 2021
Given how poorly @DavidArmstrongX and @ryangabrielson researched this piece, that money would certainly be better spent elsewhere.
Found in under 30 seconds on St. Jude's web site: https://t.co/fGqGfZ9GUr pic.twitter.com/7IakgOpB5b
— Eric Spencer (@JustEric) November 12, 2021
If @propublica wants to hire me to Google basic shit for their reporters my fees are reasonable, and the only concession I ask is that I get to berate them for not being able to Google basic shit.
— Eric Spencer (@JustEric) November 12, 2021
So do you hate all Catholics, or just these? https://t.co/S3waTKfnwD
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) November 12, 2021
RIGHT! I was ready for some real scandal and instead I was met with stuff that had me going "wait…they want what now?"
— emptywording (@emptywording) November 12, 2021
Hospitals have to cover lost wages of parents? Like … what?
— Jon 🔬 (@JonnyMicro) November 12, 2021
Unbelievable innit? And how dare they offer insufficient charity
— Jay (@OneFineJay) November 12, 2021
ProPublica had nothing better to do with their time? No more important journalism?
Just when I thought ProPublica had hit rock bottom.
— John Fenton (@jhfenton) November 12, 2021
Maybe it’s time to shut up now, ProPublica.
I donate a lot of money to these people and they have the audacity to spend it on cancer treatment??
All kidding aside this reminds me that I've been meaning to double my monthly donation… thanks for the reminder.— Yevgeny Simkin (@drdredel) November 12, 2021
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