On Health Care Reform, Networks Highlight Perceived Setbacks Far More Than Progress: Report

Media Matters:

In their health care reform coverage, media have repeatedly given considerably more attention to perceived setbacks to progressive reform efforts than to events that signal progress for those efforts. A Media Matters for America analysis of transcripts available in the Nexis database has found that broadcast and cable news featured almost twice as many segments mentioning the American Medical Association's (AMA's) reported opposition to a public insurance plan as segments mentioning the AMA's recent announcement that it supported the House Democrats' health care reform bill, which includes a public plan.

Read the whole story: Media Matters

Comments

[epiphany1234]

It stands to reason the MSM is "talking" healthcare to death...literally.... Why? Because the chattering class makes up the elite who will be forced to give back taxes to initially fund the system....hordes of them make over $250K - $1 million. They are among the highest paid people in the nation!

They are trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy by predicting the "death" of health reform. They know how gullible the American public is and how easily they can be made to believe anything....just keep repeating it, whether true or not.

All the msm spoke of last week was Obama's fall in the polls & the CBO's upward line -- no contrasting views. No mention was made of the billions that will be saved by getting taxes back from the rich, from streamlining & removing fraud from the system, that the public plan will become self sustaining after the initial investment, the success of other government run entities -- the Post Office, Medicare, Medicaid, the military, Social Security; no discussion of the success of universal care in other countries, or the fact that everything worth having has to be paid for...(in answer to the ubiquitous whine: "W-H-O-O-O-O's going to pay for it?!); or the revenue produced from diverting tax dollars from worthless endeavors into health care....(pork projects, useless wars, obsolete armaments, foreign aid)......oh, no.....CLEARLY this is not what msm wants to happen.

[BlackNeoCon]

Wow, they only looked at 2 specific instances(CBO and AMA) and wanna claim some kind of media bias. What about the Obama appearing on ABC 4 times in one day to promote helthcare. Good Morning America, World News and Nightline all broadcasted from the whitehouse. In addition to the one hour prime time special entitled Questions for the President: Prescription for America. What about the "townhall" coverage(where obama hugs implanted members of the audience who work for the democrats), the primetime press conferences and the one on one interviews with the president about healthcare, what about PBS and there 2 hour why our healthcare sucks because we dont have nationalized healthcare special. What about the media ignoring how bad the mandatory healthcare in Massachusetts is. What about John Stossels healthcare special being canceled. What about the NYT/CBS poll that sampled almost twice as many Obama supporters to McCain to reach the conclusion that 85% of people wanted "fundamental change" to healthcare. During Obama's effort to pass nationalized healthcare there hasn't been 1 segment on ABC NBC or CBS or 1 article in the NYT which discusses how bad things can be in countries with socialized medicine. Bottom Line: This study is a complete joke.

[luvangelHussein330]

What you mean the MSM isn't in the tank for Obama?

[DIAGER]

About BLOODY TIME someone took notice.

The MSM has treated EVERY NATIONAL ISSUE/CRISIS facing this country as if it was only another way to GAUGE THE PRESIDENT'S POPULARITY.

No matter how important, how pressing, or how desperate the need for ACTUAL FACTS, they first and foremost pull out the LATEST POPULARITY POLLS, immediately followed by the LATEST REPUBLICIANS WHINES.

I was watching CNN last night, hoping... no, PRAYING for just a glimmer of substance, and within one second of Health Care's mention, John King said "President Obama's popularity is sinking", then went to the MAGIC WALL where the latest polls were there to prove it.

This is not news, facts, common sense, or objective reporting.

No wonder other nations accuse our media of "DISTORTING THE NEWS"... THEY DO.

[1PALady]

That figures!

[sc300nc]

Sux when the MSM is unreasonable, doesn't it?

[thepianodiva]

MSM is a joke-with their false "two sides" to every issue. And their cheerleading for corporate interests, their fatuous and ridiculous "authorities". Just a waste of time. (except for maddow and olbermann, and ed. )

[Figerre]

And this is a surprise....how? The fact that 78% of Americans want the public option to be on the table, doesn't faze Congress or the media - they want to talke about the president's 'satisfied' dissatisfied percentage - to hell with anything that matters.

The Liberal National Media is a myth the GOP generates and regenerates - they still are set on seeing the downfall of this president, anyway they can make it happen.

[talkitreal]

That is because, those in the media, reporting the story, all have health care coverage, they DO NOT CARE about those other Americans who are losing their coverage because of pre-existing conditions. They also DO NOT care about the fact that thousands of Americans are losing their health care coverage everyday. They also DO NOT care that 48 million people DO NOT currently have any health care coverage because they cannot afford it! These media types all have alot of money, and and can afford to pay for their coverage, so they DO NOT give two sh*ts about anyone else!

The Press will only care when it starts to affect them, and their families - when a family memebr of theirs gets dropped by their insurers for a pre-existing condition. The Press will only care when they are faced with the possibility that they might get fired, and lose their own jobs, and suddenly they realise that they may not be able to afford the current hig cost of health care coverage.

[mjtaylor22]

yaaa let's listen to the republican ideas, they have such great scheme's to destroy the economy and our society as a whole..........
might as well gt it over with quick ......................

[jaleh]

The healthcare debate and its complete lack of intellectual underpinnings is outrageous. The disinformation experts heavily funded by pharma, insurance, and all of the other pigs at the monetary trough lie on with impunity. Mainstream media is all too happy to convey these lies in the name of entertaining, allowing these handsomely funded con artists to deceive Americans into thinking they really don't want any change from this broken system. I heard Mr. Steele claim that under the new plan the government could deny hip replacement surgery to an 85 year old. The media facilitator was too dull to even point out the obvious--the 85 year old is already on Medicare. And, I have never met someone over 65 who wants to give up his medicare.

Republican strategists deviously declare this is Obama's Waterloo while playing Russian Roulette with American lives. If the corporate backed minority succeeds in blocking any reform, or watering down the bill to the point where it is essentially worthless, it will mark the final nail in the coffin of what we call democracy. It will once and for all prove that American democracy is dead and that the national interests are controlled solely by corporate interests who can torture the message on any subject to gain compliance from a well-financed legislature and sleeping public.

[USBrit]

Speaking as someone born in a different country, and having seen a very different way of doing things, I am simply appalled at the disgusting behaviour of US politicians. To those who mindlessly say that our politicians are not influenced by the lobbying wing of our government, and they are effectively members of US government, all I need do is point to the current actions of the Congress, and also ask if the lobbyists were not useful in gaining influence then why do companies fund them? Few companies continue to fund an activity that does not bear results, so one is quite safe in assuming that given that there are nearly 6 lobbyists in Washington for every member of Congress, and those resources are not cheap, then the work they do must be getting results. On so many levels and in so many areas we the people are being hosed to the benefit of the corporations. You want change? You will be unlikely to get it until the lobbyists are removed from your government. US democracy is dead. Perhaps it is time to restore liberty here before worrying about it in other countries.

[kappa08]

please tell us something we don't know...

[gvc]

"News" has become nothing more than sportscasting. It is all about the game, and manufacturing suspense about who's going to win.

Here's the basic approach:

- arbitrarily select several points of view as "mainstream" and ignore the rest
- give equal time to the mainstream positions, without regard to merit
- manufacture controversy/suspense as to which is correct or will prevail

[easyrider1969]

Sportscasting is accurate. "News", as we know it, is propaganda.

[TylerRose]

Walter Cronkite reporting is gone. Media is for ratings like insurance companies and banks are for profit.

Forget them. There is going to be a single-payers health insurance rally in Washington D.C. on July 30 for all who wants to go or help others go to speak for you. Link:

http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/single-payer-rally/

It is obvious that Congress is not acting on behalf of the American people and is using their elected power to pander to the rich insurance companies and fight against the President for political points so we, the American people, need to remind all of them who they work for - US!!!! Spread the word.

[easyrider1969]

Insurance companies are BANKS.

[JD294]

"Networks Highlight Perceived Setbacks Far More Than Progress"

What do you expect from the people who sold the Iraq war for Bush administration?