Golden Lamp Awards 2006
The Fourth Annual Golden Lamp Awards rank the best and worst media portrayals of nursing we've seen in 2006.
This is the summary version. Also see the:
full version and the
The Best
Best Media Depictions of Nursing
Best Media on How Nurses Present Themselves to the Public
Best Efforts to Remedy Poor Media Portrayals of Nursing
The Worst
Worst Media Depictions of Nursing
Special "Worst Depiction" Awards
The 2006 Golden Lamp Awards cover material released in the 13 months prior to the end of 2006. In the list below, television episodes are identified by original U.S. air dates. All dates are from 2006 unless otherwise noted.
The International Council of Nursing, International Nurses Day campaign: "Safe staffing saves lives," May 12;
Barbara Ficarra, Health in 30, WRCR radio show (Rockland County, NY), ongoing;
Diana Mason* and Barbara Glickstein, HealthStyles, WBAI radio show (New York City), ongoing;
Raewyn Janota, "The unique gifts that nurses receive," Globe and Mail (Toronto), Dec. 21, 2005;
Gina Dennik-Champion, "Nurses back medical marijuana," Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Dec. 10, 2005;
Nancy Banfield Johnson, "Time to split truth from myth about nursing," The Ithaca Journal, May 5;
Ruth Tanyi, "Bad Sugar," television series on diabetes prevention, airing on KHIZ (Southern California), Oct. 2006 to Jan. 2007;
The Royal College of Nursing (Wales), policy "manifesto," as reported in "Wales boozing worries nurses," News Wales, Sept. 20.
Although the Truth's focus is the general media, and the books below are aimed mainly at nurses, these works ably explore how nurses think about their work and present it to others, thus increasing public understanding of the profession.
The View from Above Awards 2006
These awards go to nurses and physicians who have presented the public with contemptuous, distorted visions of nursing.
- American Medical Association and Rebecca Patchin, comments in various major newspapers, throughout 2006.
- Two pieces by Vickie Milazzo: "Why Are Nurses Leaving Clinical Nursing? Not Because of ER!", American Chronicle, Aug. 21; "This I Believe: Stepping Out of Fear," National Public Radio, Sept. 4.
- Two op-eds by one or more anonymous U.K. physicians: "Why nurses are no angels," The Independent and the Belfast Telegraph, June 20; "Are nurses angels? I don't think so," Daily Mail, July 18.
The "Just Joking" Awards 2006
- Mattel, for its "Nurse Quacktitioner" doll, Dec. 2005.
- IGT, "Nurse Follies," video slot machine, Jan.
The Evolutionary Dead End Awards 2006
These awards recognize those whose contempt for nursing--at a time when the profession is in crisis--is notably self-defeating.
- The Heart Attack Grill, Tempe, AZ, ongoing.
- Silvio Berlusconi, public comments on recent hospitalization, Dec.
See the expanded version of the Golden Lamp Awards and our press release.
*A member of the Truth's board of directors or advisory panel.