Plushenko wants TV commentator charged with libel

[maatTheViking]

And journalists should be able to investigate, past the privacy that would stop a common person, shouldn't they?

When it comes to patient confidentiality - no, what would you have him do? I don't think that it should be expected that a journalist trick hospital staff to get information.

[masik]

Not to get ahead of anyone but on the clip during Chinese girl's long Zhurankov said that altough he have always supported Plushenko and was one of his fans he is not taking his words back. He thinks there is too much PR around him not related to sport and that's all he meant.. Hope that helps..

[VarBar]

I assume Plushenko would totally embarrass the Eurosport commentator and would dispel all suspicions if he publicly produced some papers proving that he was indeed admitted in that Israeli hospital and that he did undergo surgery there. Public apologies from the commentator would be enough for me and I would try to forget the whole story. It's not worth a lawsuit IMO.

[misskarne]

I assume Plushenko would totally embarrass the Eurosport commentator and would dispel all suspicions if he publicly produced some papers proving that he was indeed admitted in that Israeli hospital and that he did undergo surgery there. Public apologies from the commentator would be enough for me and I would try to forget the whole story. It's not worth a lawsuit IMO.

Because pictures of him with a catheter that Yana tweeted just aren't enough for you?

[VarBar]

misskarne, those pictures were definitely enough for me but it seems they were not enough for the Eurosport commentator. Or some of the Israeli media who said no patient named Plushenko had been registered with any Israeli hospital.

[Ziggy]

Not to get ahead of anyone but on the clip during Chinese girl's long Zhurankov said that altough he have always supported Plushenko and was one of his fans he is not taking his words back. He thinks there is too much PR around him not related to sport and that's all he meant.. Hope that helps..

Interesting! So he's not apologising and retracting!

[spikydurian]

:Plushy Zhurankov=

[IceAlisa]

Does this really matter in the country in question?

No. Did I say it did?

[IceAlisa]

Here's a translation of Ziggy's link:
starts mid-sentence

I asked for my words not to be distorted and to understand what I meant. I meant that lately there is a lot of PR and show business around Evgeni and not enough sport. And this is not good for the preparations for the Olympics. What's happening now, the manner in which it is presented reminds one of PR (unintelligible).

That's what I said and that's how I'd like to be understood and not the way Plushenko's entourage interpreted it. (pause as Li skates into position)
I've been thinking whether I should be saying this and I realize that it is not appropriate for 4CC. But later it would not be possible because we have Worlds and now Plushenko's surgery is the most discussed topic. We wish him the speediest recovery back into shape. I've supported Plushenko all of my journalistic career and was always on his side while he went head to head with Yagudin. I was virtually the only journalist in Vancouver who campaigned in defense of Plushenko as the "plot" against him unfolded (I added " as I cannot imagine he means it seriously, does he??)

I said these words as I worried, first and foremost, how this would look across the expanse of the Internet, both in electronic and regular press. So this was the motivation and words and I do not deny them. That's it...(video freezes)...I ask. Lets watch how the ladies competition is unfolding.

At this point Li does a 3 lutz and he calls it.

[misskarne]

What a steaming pile of BS.

Basically, "I said he faked it and now I'm in trouble so I'm gonna throw it all on his camp and say they misinterpreted it when really it was plain as day what I said."

[nursebetty]

He should have had surgery here and he might have gotten away without the catheter, esp. being a young healthy male. Unless of course it was a long surgery or rods and screws placed. What people tweet these days. Urine is the last thing I want to see. Maybe not the last thing.

[IceAlisa]

He had a catheter? This means you saw a picture of it. Brilliant. When I have a catheter, I want my spouse to publish it across "the expanse of the Internet."

[stevlin]

Wasn't it Mishin who told journalists that Todd Eldredge faked dislocating his shoulder during the warmup at one of the Worlds to get out of competing? I guess what goes around comes around.

I don't see the point of the article anyway. Does anyone doubt that Plushenko has back problems after all of his years of competing? Why would he need to fake anything?

Wow, Todd did not fake the shoulder dislocation. I saw it and it made me sick, especially watching the shoulder go back in place. Todd was in so much pain, his blades dug into the ice frantically.

[misskarne]

He had a catheter? This means you saw a picture of it. Brilliant. When I have a catheter, I want my spouse to publish it across "the expanse of the Internet."

She posted the picture as a response to the people who were already accusing him of faking the surgery.

[IceAlisa]

[Glacier cat]

altough he have always supported Plushenko and was one of his fans he is not taking his words back. He thinks there is too much PR around him not related to sport and that's all he meant

It's said that Zhurankov has never been a fan of Plushy, though he calls himself as a long-time fan.


What Zhurankov said:

In my opinion, there was no such operation, and all this story, considering how it was presented in the mass media – it was an exclusive story by Channel One, only certain media sources got the tip-off to write about it – all this looks like a strategy that is used for various PR actions in showbiz. I especially have a suspicion, because next information appeared in the Israeli medias, 2 days ago, that they can not find a hospital where was Evgeni operated, and can not find him in any hospital right now. Also, I do not believe that a man who had operation on the spine, can walk one day later.

I don't think he meant he wanted to scold Plushy's personal life as a long-time fan. He just looks like a gossip lover... He should make the source clear and explain again why he thought there was no such operation. In general, as far as I know, patient who had ADR (Artificial Disc Replacement) surgery can walk within 2 days and discharged from hospital 5~6 days later.

People can say anything what they think, but I think the journalist shouldn't say it on TV as Eurosport's commentator. Or he should offer concrete evidence of a lie of Plushy. He and his boss should accept responsibility for what he told on TV even in Russia.




Hmm. I don't know why he refuses to apologize. To me, it was a very simple story IMO. I thought he just mistakenly thought that the story which was made by Israeli unknown newspaper (or Israeli journalist) was the true

[IceAlisa]

I think Zhurankov is the same moron who criticized Patrick Chan for skating to Elegie as his exhibition at Worlds 2012 because it was a composition in a minor key. The facts that it was a celebrated piano piece by his countryman, Sergey Rachmaninov, or that it was a sublime interpretation, seemed to have completely escaped him.

He seems to also be the one blathering about Mao's 4CC free skate score not being as high as Tuk's at Euros. I'd snarked about it here.

[Zemgirl]

And journalists should be able to investigate, past the privacy that would stop a common person, shouldn't they?

I'm surprised no one thought Russia is a very peculiar country. Not exactly waving the human right flag. And the two most sore points would exactly be press freedom and courts.

Actually, no. Journalists' right to investigate stories do not trump patients' right to confidentiality. Journalists are not mentioned as one of the exceptions in the Israeli Patients' Right Law. Nor should they; being famous should not automatically mean that your medical information should be broadcast to all and sundry.

Also, in terms of human rights - these also include the right to privacy and patients' rights. Free speech and freedom of the press (where applicable) do not mean you can say anything you want; even in the US, it means the government can't infringe on your free speech. It does not mean you get to slander and libel people with impunity, or that you deserve access to private people's medical information (though I imagine some things in the public realm are covered by the Freedom of Information Act and other open records laws). Your approach seems to be that Plushenko, or famous people, or anyone who leaves the house - I can't really tell - has signed away some of the right to privacy, confidentiality, and various protections of the law. I don't think so.

He should have had surgery here and he might have gotten away without the catheter, esp. being a young healthy male. Unless of course it was a long surgery or rods and screws placed. What people tweet these days. Urine is the last thing I want to see. Maybe not the last thing.

What was shown in the picture looked to me like a drain, not a catheter, and I imagine it was medically necessary. Of course, depending on the type of surgery and the anesthesia he had, a catheter might have been needed, too. It's not something I want to see, either way.

[IceAlisa]

I saw a picture of him with what looked like a drain. I did not see a catheter though. Perhaps if he had an epidural (are disc replacements done with an epidural?) then a catheter would make sense.

[Zemgirl]

I saw a picture of him with what looked like a drain. I did not see a catheter though. Perhaps if he had an epidural (are disc replacements done with an epidural?) then a catheter would make sense.

I know people who had surgery under genera anesthesia but also with an epidural for pain management while in the early stages of the recovery. At least, I think that's what was done.

I think Yana may have gotten the terminology mixed up, or perhaps it's the same word in Russian.