TMH Relies on Tallahassee Democrat Connections, $1.5M in Advertising to Shape the “News”

In the ongoing effort to shape public opinion in their favor, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare (TMH) is relying on the connections of their hired public relation experts with the Tallahassee Democrat to impact what news is reported and what news is shelved related to the TMH-FSU academic medical center.

Public comments and other available information verify that former Tallahassee Democrat publisher Skip Foster and veteran political consultant Gary Yordon are both on the TMH’s payroll.

In addition to these connections, IRS tax documents (page 10) show that TMH spent $1.5 million on “advertising and promotion” in 2024. When contacted by TR, TMH refused to say how much of that $1.5 million is spent with the Tallahassee Democrat.

Foster Hired Current Tallahassee Democrat Editor Twice

Foster, via his public relations firm Hammerhead Communications, list TMH as a client and has recently promoted TMH’s talking points related to the TMH-FSU issue.

Foster also recently wrote an article defending the campaign donation made by TMH Board Chair Sally Bradshaw to city commissioner Jeremy Matlow during the hospital’s negotiations with FSU. Matlow has been very public in denouncing the deal between the TMH and FSU.

With Foster, TMH gets the benefits of the longtime relationship that Foster has with current Tallahassee Democrat executive editor Wiliam Hatfield.

In March 2015, Foster, then the Tallahassee Democrat President and Publisher, announced the hiring of Hatfield, who was the editor of the Northwest Florida Dailey News. Foster said in the press release “the job drew nationwide interest and that the candidate pool was impressive.”

What was not revealed in the press release is that Foster had a previous relationship with Hatfield. Foster previously hired Hatfield as the editor at the Northwest Florida Dailey News when Foster was the paper’s publisher.

Gary Yordon Registers as TMH Lobbyist

On May 1, 2025, veteran political consultant and local government lobbyist registered with the Tallahassee City Commission to represent the interests of TMH related to “hospital ownership and governance.”

In November, at a town hall hosted by the Tallahassee Branch of the NAACP and Tallahassee ALERT, Yordon identified himself as a political consultant hired by TMH and argued and noted that any outcome that gives a majority of seats to academic institutions is not acceptable to TMH.

Yordon, who has been an influential force in Tallahassee politics for decades, produces the weekly political show Usual Suspects which airs locally on WCTV and often writes opinion columns for the Tallahassee Democrat.

Influencing News Coverage

Two recent, notable and controversial issues related to TMH has escaped coverage by the Tallahassee Democrat.

First, back in May, the Tallahassee Democrat published an article addressing the compensation package of FSU President Richard McCullough. In the article, TMH officials refused to provide updated compensation information for TMH CEO Mark O’Bryant. Instead, the article refenced 2023 data indicating annual compensation of $1.8 million.

However, when TR discovered the O’Bryant’s 2024 annual compensation was $3.1 million the Tallahassee Democrat ignored the new information despite the widespread debate on the issue on social media between commenters and TMH officials.

Second, the campaign donation of TMH Board Chair Bradshaw to city commissioner and mayoral candidate Jeremy Matlow and possible implications has been ignored by the Tallahassee Democrat. This is in contrast to the Democrat’s coverage of FSU donations to elected officials during the debate over Blueprint funds allocated to Doak Campbell stadium improvements and the Democrat’s request for text messages on the issue.

It appears that Tallahassee’s largest newspaper is avoiding critical reporting related to TMH, while parroting the narrative of public relation experts. Questions about the lack of TMH financial transparency and the use of political influence are ignored while critical stories about the motives of those that support an academic health center receive priority.