ABSTRACT
Matthew Shepherd, a 22-year old gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, was beaten, his skull was smashed, and he was tied to a wooden fence like a scarecrow, and left to die on October 7, 1998. He was transported to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. The broadcast media, primarily, brought the story to national attention, but the story of the crisis faced by the hospital was not. This was a story of the use of a Web site as a principal source of information. There was a huge volume of public interest, and the hospital was overwhelmed by inquiries. In order to cope with this massive need for information, the hospital used its Web site to provide updates about the young man’s condition. The message first placed on the site was the following: “Matthew’s current medical and selected information from this web site are also recorded on voice mail: (the phone number followed). We ask that people, including the media, rely on the web site and the voice mail to track Matthew’s condition.” The hospital also set up a special e-mail for people who wanted to send greetings to Matthew and his family. That message was also posted on the Web site. It urged people to send electronic get-well cards and asked that flowers not be sent, that instead donations be made to a special Matthew Shepherd fund. The hospital also used the site to ask the public to respect the family’s privacy. The request for privacy, also aimed at the news media, included information reporters would want to know to write their stories. Rulon Stacey, President and CEO of the hospital, read a statement to reporters gathered outside the hospital and the statement was placed on the site for others. It mentioned Matthew’s “kind and gentle soul,” his belief in human rights, and his one intolerance – people who do not accept others as they are. It mentioned that Matthew was close to his family, that he had been born prematurely and had struggled to survive, that he liking camping, acting in community theatre, that he was not a great athlete but had a competitive spirit, that he had traveled extensively and spoke three languages. The hospital continued to post detailed updates about Matthew’s medical condition on the Web site. Then, on October 12, Stacey announced on the site that Shepherd had died with his family at his bedside. The family added, “He came into the world premature and left the world premature.” Funeral arrangements were also announced.
