The News Big Media Won't Report

Every morning I still read my old-fashioned paper copy of the morning Washington Post on the subway on my way to the office, and then I sit down to review all the information I am getting from field events and town halls around the country, lobbyists' reports from those meeting with Senate and House members and staff, updates from organizations working in the field. I have to say that the two sets of information could not be further apart, and it makes me wonder again what the disconnect is.

This morning is a classic example. On the front page is a remarkable puff piece that I had to do a double take on because it was so strange: an article on Senator Bob Corker with the headline, "A GOP Senator Looking To Meet Halfway." I had to do a double-take because Bob Corker is one of the farthest right-wing Senators in the chamber, a Senator who has never voted in the middle or been serious about anything approaching a compromise on any major issue that I am aware of. He is not on either of the two Senate committees dealing with health care, is a freshman not in the leadership, and has not offered a single significant piece of health care legislation. What he says about health care is identical to the same talking points Mitch McConnell speaks from, which incidentally were the same talking points Newt Gingrich was speaking from when he killed the last effort at health reform. These talking points include the usual problem that every politician uses when they are trying to kill a bill, about how of course they want to meet in the middle and reach a compromise, if only the other side would just drop everything that really matters. Apparently, the folks at the WP take such silliness at face value.

I turned to page A2, and there was a classically cynical Dana Milbank column, trashing a Democratic member's press conference on health care and talking about Democrats trying, "to pick up the pieces of the shattered health care bill."

Then on page A4, a column about a town hall meeting in rural Colorado that had more anti-reform than pro-reform people showing up in attendance.

On the other hand, in my office, I am reading reports that look like this:

• A report from field activists analyzing town hall meetings that showed more than 15,000 people turned out clearly in favor of health reform, compared to 1,200 clearly opposed. (Along with quite a few someplace in the middle, with thoughtful questions.)

• A second report analyzing town hall turnout trends from local news accounts suggesting that in most of the town halls reported on, supporters outnumbered opponents.

• Reports from pro-reform rallies over last weekend in at least 30 places around the country, including: over 1,000 in Denver; 1,000 in Columbus, Ohio; 1,500 in St. Louis; 2,800 in Somerville, MA; 1,000 in Vancouver, WA. And hundreds in small towns as well: 400 in Clinton, Iowa; 200 in Jefferson City, MO; 150 people in Columbus, GA; 700 in Salinas; 300 in Grand Rapids, MI; 300 in Green Bay, WI.

• The OFA program being run out of the DNC, after being derided for months by the traditional media for its slow start, reported some stunning numbers at the start of the Obama/OFA town hall on August 24th: Over 1.5 million have taken action since they launched the health insurance reform campaign on June 6th; 11,906 local events have happened, and average of 171 events per day; 231,572 personal stories have been submitted; OFA members made 64,912 local visits in one week.

• In a matter of 96 hours, a group of bloggers raised over $400,000 from 6,800 people to support strong supporters of a public option.

As I've written before, between some combination of their own pre-conceived conventional wisdom talking points and their love of covering a train wreck, traditional media does not want to report the good news about health care reform. I can't remember ever seeing in any traditional media story, for example, the fact that (as Chris Bowers reported) there is now a majority in both the House and the Senate that are on the public record in support of a public option.

The future of health care reform hangs in the balance. We are in the fight of our lives -- but if you listen to the traditional media, you would think it is all over.

Comments

[genmanager]

I honestly think the main stream media are almost as contemptable as the insurance companies. President Obama and the democrats have made many mistakes regarding health care reform, but nothing excuses the media for the way they have reported this story. It's all about ratings. On television, "news reporters" only requirement is to offer both sides of the pundits equal time, if that. There is never an attempt to report truths or untruths. I think Walter Cronkite would be embarassed by his former colleages and should have spoken out against them before he died. From the very beginning of the Clinton administration until now the media has sunk lower and lower. The media are as responsible for bringing down this country without its reporting of facts, as the republicans have been in spreading continuous lies. I don't know if there is any hope for our country. Sadly, I guess this is the reality of today.

[BigSlick674]

I DEMAND SINGLE PAYER PUBLIC HEALTH CARE

[CroatianCritter]

You can thank our last liberal president Bill Clinton for this. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was an absolute disaster. Now, corporations control the media and can sprout propaganda or control the news flow with their newfound power. Any attack on private corporations in any industry will not be supported by THIS media no matter how many people want a government option. My only advice: Keep taking your news off the internet and ignore the 24 hour news channels and the Big 3 networks. With sagging ratings, maybe they will wake up and start serving the public interest again.

[R]

I just finished getting signatures for health care reform per Obama's original proposals as part of an Organizing for America effort. 80% of the people put their name on the list for health care reform. And this in a primarily Republican area.

I can only think that MSM, being part of big industry, is on the side of anti-reform and lining up with their brothers in the insurance and pharma industries.

[luziannagirl]

Also in the category of big news the media won't report is that leading evolutionary biologists including E.O. Wilson, have calculated that the Earth's natural resources can sustain about 2 billion Homo sapiens at any one time, maximum.

At currently three times our carrying capacity and increasing exponentially, our planet is due for a massive ecosystem collapse.

[ydrittmann]

Yeah, but if he believes in evolution, what else has he gotten wrong?

[luziannagirl]

Yeah, amazing isn't it ydritt, how "conservatives" have constructed such a tight little world from which their Kool Aid drinkers can't escape without endangering their immortal souls' salvation.

[Steven Duke]

At some point the American people will have to wake up to what our media has been turned into. First right wing think tanks make something up then to druge/newsmax/mass emails than to limbaugh and the rest of hate radio from there Fox/Newscorp picks it up as soon as these things happen it is considered an "established" news story and is picked up by CNN/Headline News from this point on it is the "conventional wisdom". The MSM takes over relying only on the information that they have gotten from the usual suspects. Where is it that you think these talking heads get their information? So once created by the right wing propaganda networks and carried into the mainstream by CNN it is then "credible" and disseminated by the major networks as "the story" When someplace like MSNBC or the huffpo point out what is being created it is easily dismissed,after all "liberalism" is the enemy second only to "the truth" Not only is the media incapable of pointing out what is being done to the American people the Media's own complicity and enabling of it prevents them from pointing it out. This is not an accident, it is not happenstance. It has been purposefully created to function in this manner. WAKE UP!

[FTBUTA]

LOVE IT!!

[Glenda37013]

Words like ‘change’ and ‘reform’ engender fear in a great number of people, especially in seniors and especially so when discussing medical care. I contend that health care reform advocates made a major blunder in naming the issue. In addition to being simple and succinct, the phrase 'Medical Security' brings to mind the two most successful and familiar (and sacred) U.S. government programs: Medicare and Social Security. Perhaps there is still time to reverse the damage by replacing, ‘Health Care Reform’ with 'Medical Security’ in future conversations.

[THISTLE]

The media went into 24/7 stories on the shouting morons at town halls. Not one story appeared
on people who had insurance, paid their preumiums and when they got sick lost everything - because
insurance refused to pay for what they needed. We hear that every 15 seconds someone in this
country loses their coverage, still more are forced into bankrupcy. Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko,"
showed and told the story. And Obama hasn't talked about the millions of people who had insurance
and lost everything. That's the big un-told story here, but the media who are about as bright as the
shouters and shills at these town halls, ignores the real story. They concentrate on the shouting
morons and paid shills at these events. And so here is what we have a weak, tepid dispassionate
president, non-stop lies from the right wing, a well orchestrated campaign to destroy Obama and
healthcare reform and a media who just like before the lead up to the War in Iraq are working hard
to help the right wing lie machine. Just like we need a 3rd party, we need a responsible media.
Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow - can't do it all alone...

[NotStarvingArtist]

Love your article, but cannot understand why a smart man like Barack Obama doesn't seem to understand your point. He seems to be caving in to this small, but vocal, minority.

[cordyc]

It is well worth reading all the pages of comments to get real journalism about what has taken place at townhall all around the country.

I hope everyone who reads this will make a comment about any townhall they attended in person. Don't trust your local media to report the real story.

[Woopie]

I think you miss the point.

MSM is a big business today. Years ago a TV station could only be owned regionally, could not own a newspaper in the same market. Today? You get what they want you to hear.

[Wazzat]

THIS is what has to be changed- back to the way it was.

Is the Obama administration courageous enough to take any steps in that direction?

[OneLiberalLady]

Mr. Lux raises some telling points. Note that Jason Linkins has an article elsewhere on HP relating that 3000 people showed up for a pro-reform rally in Seattle and it was not reported in the Seattle Times, or any other major outlet as far as anyone can tell. The press is attracted to bright, shiny objects that sell what they are peddling. It's hard to find the truth in those circumstances.

[ClevelandTom]

I too think that the reports of the demise of health care reform, and more particularly, the public option are premature. It is appears to be true that the Dems do not have 60 votes for the bill but that is not the question. Do the Dems have 60 votes for cloture of a Repub filabuster and the answer may well be yes, especially if Mass. names a replacement soon. I can easily see every Dem, including the Blue Dogs, in the Senate voting for cloture and then some of them voting against the reform bill because it has the public option but the bill still get atleast 50 votes.

[jbatch]

The polls speak for themselves, and reveal the MSM to be the Republican concubines they are -- comfortable majorities support single payer, universal care, the public option and most other reforms. So why do we get corker puff pieces and coverage of how Dems are on the run?

Because details and data don't sell newspapers, but lunatic fringe faux fights does, that's why.