CBS Covers Latest V.A. Scandal Report, ABC, NBC Ignore

On Wednesday, September 17, the House is scheduled to hold a hearing on the latest surrounding the scandal plagued Veterans Administration, specifically questions about the inspector general’s recent report on patient deaths at V.A. facilities.

Despite the new revelations from a whistleblower that the V.A. changed its final report to downplay any connection between patient deaths and long wait times, CBS This Morning was the only network morning show to cover the story on its Wednesday morning broadcast. ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today ignored the story altogether.

CBS reporter Wyatt Andrews began by noting:

Later today Congress will investigate the investigators, asking why the inspector general found no link between the secret waitlist the V.A. kept in Phoenix and the deaths of up to 40 veterans...The inspector general’s final report in August concluded that it could not conclusively assert that long wait times caused the deaths of these veterans, but the line downplayed any connection between patient deaths and delays any and according to this whistleblower, it was not in the original draft of the report.”

The CBS reporter continued:

Our source who works at V.A. headquarters and who spoke exclusively to CBS News says officials inside the agency asked for a revision of the first draft. That's standard practice. But in this case, the source says it amounts to pressure on the Inspector General Richard Griffin to add that line to water down the report.

Andrews went on to challenge the V.A. line that no veterans died while waiting for care:

But the conclusion that no deaths were caused by delays seemed to conflict with the rest of the report. For example, “28 instances of clinically significant delays” were found including six deaths and some of the findings indicated that either treatment or an appointment for this patient might have affected the outcome. 

The report concluded by once again questioning V.A. talking points over the number of patient deaths at V.A. facilities:

Now newly released figures show that 293 veterans died, not 40, 293 while on those secret waitlists. That does not mean the veterans died from lack of care. But some House members are already asking if the Phoenix investigation should be reopened.

Rather than find time to cover the latest in the V.A. scandal, ABC’s Good Morning America spent nearly 3 minutes talking about Ginger Zee’s apartment makeover. NBC’s Today spent 4 minutes talking to Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann Gilligan’s Island, about her new book.

See relevant transcript below.

CBS This Morning

September 17, 2014

NORAH O’DONNELL: Expect a showdown in the V.A. health scandal today on Capitol Hill. A House committee will question the department’s acting inspector general about a report of dozens of patient deaths at the Phoenix veterans hospital. Wyatt Andrews is in Washington where critics say top V.A. officials interfered with the investigation. Wyatt good morning. 

WYATT ANDREWS: Good morning. Later today Congress will investigate the investigators, asking why the inspector general found no link between the secret waitlist the V.A. kept in Phoenix and the deaths of up to 40 veterans. We spoke to a top level V.A. whistleblower who told us that conclusion was a last-minute change made under pressure. 

The issue surrounds the investigation of whether more than 40 veterans at the Phoenix V.A. died while waiting to see the doctor. The inspector general’s final report in August concluded that it could not conclusively assert that long wait times caused the deaths of these veterans, but the line downplayed any connection between patient deaths and delays any and according to this whistleblower, it was not in the original draft of the report. They said that the wait times didn't cause the deaths. 

UNKNOWN PERSON: Correct. 

ANDREWS: And that was added? 

UNKNOWN: Yes. 

ANDREWS: At the last minute essentially. 

UNKNOWN: Yes, it was. 

ANDREWS: Our source who works at V.A. headquarters and who spoke exclusively to CBS News says officials inside the agency asked for a revision of the first draft. That's standard practice. But in this case, the source says it amounts to pressure on the Inspector General Richard Griffin to add that line to water down the report.

UNKNOWN: The organization was worried that the report was going to damn the organization and therefore it was important for them to introduce language that softened that blow

ANDREWS: The office of the inspector general issued a statement calling our whistleblower wrong saying, quote, “there was no pressure from the V.A. to add this line.” The statement adds “we did not find sufficient evidence that any delay resulted in death.” But the conclusion that no deaths were caused by delays seemed to conflict with the rest of the report. 

For example, “28 instances of clinically significant delays” were found including six deaths and some of the findings indicated that either treatment or an appointment for this patient might have affected the outcome. The inspector general’s findings were also a surprise to some of the families who lost a relative. Teddy Barnes says his father Thomas, a Navy veteran died while on a secret waitlist but no one from the inspector general’s office ever called his family. 

TEDDY BARNES: It sounds like they’re either trying to cover it up or sugar coat it a little bit because we didn't hear anything about this. 

ANDREWS: And now newly released figures show that 293 veterans died, not 40, 293 while on those secret waitlists. That does not mean the veterans died from lack of care. But some House members are already asking if the Phoenix investigation should be reopened. Gayle? 

O’DONNELL: Wow. 

GAYLE KING: A lot of questions there. 

O’DONNELL: That's a much bigger number. 

KING: Yeah. 

O’DONNELL: Yeah a much bigger number. 

KING: Now people are paying even more attention. We thank you, Wyatt.