Republicans have built a massive media operation based upon spreading false information, knowing that the news media will do little to challenge their lies. Chuck Todd demonstrated how poor the mainstream media has become at reporting news when discussing the false information being spread by Republicans about the Affordable Care Act.
“But more importantly, it would be stuff that Republicans have successfully messaged against it,” Todd told Rendell. “They don’t repeat the other stuff because they haven’t even heard the Democratic message. What I always love is people say, ‘Well, it’s you folks’ fault in the media.’ No, it’s the President of the United States’ fault for not selling it.”
As a result we have the remarkable situation where a majority of people, including Republicans, support the actual components of the Affordable Care Act when polled, but also say they oppose the Affordable Care Act. Not surprisingly, Republicans are more likely to opposeĀ ObamaCare, when polled under that name, than the Affordable Care Act.
The problem is not that the President of the United States is not selling the Affordable Care Act but that the media covers both true and false statements, and prefers more sensationalist claims. Obama is putting out factual information about the Affordable Care Act. The media quotes Republicans who just make things up, and their attacks make for better sounding news bites. At very least a true journalist should counter the Republican claims with the actual facts as to what is in the law, but they rarely bother to do so. Apparently it is because too many journalists think like Chuck Todd and don’t believe it is their job to provide such information.
Simply quoting what conservatives say without reporting the actual facts is not reporting the news. This is true with regards to the Affordable Care Act as well as with a wide range of issues. Republicans have found that they can say whatever they want, regardless of the facts, as the news media will simply report what they say.