Alberta Health Services President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Duckett was fired for being caught on video telling reporters he wasn’t able to answer their questions because he was “eating my cookie.” This lead to angry board members that were even threatening to sue. But was he completely wrong?
With modern day media, it seems as though they don’t have boundaries when it comes to pushing and shoving to be first to get the scoop. They are not afraid to get into your personal space or to invade your privacy. Have they gone too far? Although Duckett was completely outlandish, he did state a fact that really struck me. There was going to be a media conference in 30 minutes. So why did the media hound this man while he was trying to take a break? To be quite honest, can you really blame a man who just wants to eat, and instead hunted down? Some of you may say that doesn’t he deserve to be fired. He is a public figure, shouldn’t he know by now that he should represent Alberta Health Services with dignity? I completely agree. Although Duckett could say he was frustrated and that the media conference was less than an hour later, his behavior is just out of line with the repeated “I’m eating my cookie” plus the rude behavior of shoving the cookie in the reporters face. As a public figure shouldn’t he know better than to do so? He is over 50 and yet he acts like he is a 5 year old child. I scrolled down to the comments of the YouTube video and the reviews were mixed. Some are backing Duckett up on his acts, saying, “leave him alone, can’t a man eat in privacy? What is wrong with this world?” But another counters back, saying, “This is what we get for voting for our leaders, stupid scums who can’t get the job done, FIRE HIM.” So this leaves me wondering, was Duckett rightfully fired or do you think he was innocent? In my opinion, he is a representative of the people of Alberta and his behavior was completely out of line. Should a man like that really represent us, especially as a health representative? And the ironic thing is, HEATH OFFICER + COOKIE, does that really add up? Should a man who watches and runs our health system walk around with an UNHEALTHY cookie? You tell me.
Yes, I agree you have a point. The media has definitely hold him accountable. Cookies are unhealthy, but his job does not prevent him from eating it. He is not a doctor. Doctors even eat cookies. He is a health economist, that is handling the health expenditures of the superboard.