The Fourth Estate is Boosting the GOP on Health Care Debate

[Omaha Steve]

http://unionreview.com/fourth-estate-boosting-gop-health-care-debate

By BERRY CRAIG

Much of the media, however unwittingly, is helping the Republicans in the health care debate.

No doubt, TV and print journalists claim they’re playing the big story right down the middle:
– The Republicans claim the Democrats want “socialized medicine,” the old conservative pejorative for national health insurance. The Democrats say no way.
– The media simply reports the charges and the denials and calls it “fair and balanced” news coverage.

This old reporter calls it biased coverage, even it it’s not necessarily intentional. Here’s what I mean.

If all, or most, of what we see on TV or read in the newspaper about health care is Republicans saying the Democrats are for “socialized medicine” and the Democrats protesting they’re not, a lot of people are going to conclude that “socialized medicine” really is bad medicine because neither party wants it.

What the Democrats – even liberals – want isn’t anything nearly as comprehensive as national health insurance programs in other countries. Nonetheless, the Republicans call it “socialized medicine.”

The Republicans know “socialism” is a dirty word in America, the most conservative and capitalist industrial democracy. So with a little help from the media, they have been able to frame the health care debate primarily between American “free enterprise” and alien “socialism.”

FULL story at link.

[BlooInBloo]

1. "unwittingly" - Irony alert.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Isn't the fourth estate the insurance companies? n/t

[Reform]

3. O takes the sting on this one im affraid

The bill is not "sellable" because it is not able to be fully explained and broken down in under a paragraph, creating such an entity needs key proposals that are easily explainable quickly.
The bill is hard to wrap your head around especially for the people lacking intellect.
The bills promotion i find is lacking both the sizzle and the steak.
And for Maddow the other night grouping someone for universal single payer health care in with the antagonist lot who she says is working for the medical insurance industry from the other side is unforgivable.
The media of course who is basically owned by a hand full of companies have their own interests of course, just look who their biggest advitisors are.Watch CNN for an hour and try to count the number of health insurance commercials you see, its been this way since i have been watching cnn since the first gulf war.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. that and most Dems (not Kucinich) are doing a craptastic job as well

its as if to fail on purpose.

[pansypoo53219]

5. FOLLOW THE MONEY

for some democrats too. it will always be the chace of the MONEY. who has it, who wants it, WHO GETS IT.