The Canadian born on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 yesterday is the daughter of a Ugandan … who is also a permanent resident of the United States. So, at least we know that the newly-minted citizen of our northern neighbor is not Dutch. Sasha, the newest NWA passenger, was delivered mid-flight by Dr. Natarajan Raman and Dr. Paresh Thakker. Raman is a radiation oncologist who hadn’t delivered a kid in 20 years (but remembered the steps. Thakker is a general practitioner.
Of course, there’s no such thing as unbiased news, right? The only way to get to the truth is to see what everyone is saying. There were two doctors involved in this effort: Raman and Thakker. But, there can only be one ego in charge. It can make parceling out props a nightmare, but sometimes a bit of investigation is necessary. After all, credit must be given where it is due. After the jump, see how the two hopeful heroes stack up against each other.
- Star Tribune: Raman delivered; Thakker helped
- Telegraph: Thakker delivered; Raman helped
- KARE (Minnesota): Raman “assisted” … but is somehow called “heroic”
- New England Cable News: both doctors “helped with the delivery”
- BBC: both doctors chipped in, but Raman gets the quotes
Based on my math, and I do have the numeracy of a journalist, it’s close. The Star Tribune gives the nod to local boy Raman, while the Telegraph throws its vote to Thakker. NECN plays it down the middle, not giving either doc the lead role.
So far, it’s 1.5 to 1.5.
KARE and BBC are a bit tougher. The former says that Raman “assisted” but didn’t describe Thakker’s role. Also, Raman does get the moniker “heroic” and some loving quotes from colleagues. Thakker gets squat. So, we’ll toss Raman a half point for this one.
Raman 2, Thakker 1.5.
The BBC is a bit more even than KARE (which is another Minnesota news outlet). It doesn’t give either doctor the prominent role, but Raman gets all the quotes. That’s worth a quarter point.
And, we have a winner: Raman 2.25, Thakker 1.5. That being said, in whatever capacity each served, they did bring a new life into this world under circumstances that are far from idea.
Here, enjoy 25 seconds of coverage from NECN: