The consequences of bad AP reporting
July 16, 2009 11:10 am ET by Eric Boehlert
It allows politicians and pundits, like Newt Gingrich, to spread misinformation.
Yesterday the AP reported that the House Democrats' tri-committee health-care reform proposal would cost "$1.5 trillion," which is $500 billion more than what the Congressional Budget Office has estimated. So were did the AP numbers come from? From an anonymous Democratic Hill staffer.
As CF noted:
Where is the extra $500 billion coming from on top of the CBO score? What provisions did the CBO not score? Why does this anonymous aide think those provisions cost half a trillion dollars? Does anyone else agree with him or her? Readers wouldn't know from the AP article.
So conservatives have been plastering the misleading article everywhere, and when called on it they just say, well that's what the AP reported.
Here's Gingrich's Tweet from this morning:
A blog challenged my tweet that house democratic health bill would cost $1.5 trillion.that was associated press report of democratic staffer
Must be nice to have one of the world's largest news organizations do your oppo research for you.
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I have a source, and a conservative one at that, who informs me that you are highly underinformed on the more important issues facing our nation. In addition, they say your opinions are basely and unjustified, serving only to highlight your general ignorance.
Now, please explain why -you- should believe my source any more than -I- should believe the AP's source.
-Every- story has a source, pointofview, but not every story is -true-. See the difference? Now, since I have only one source and no factual evidence to support it, I will not print my source's statement in a newspaper, because that would be -unethical-, no matter how much it might please me personally.
You have still given me no reason to believe the unsupported word of one confidential source, however. As far as the $1 trillion figure, it comes from the CBO report. It was not, repeat not, $1.5 trillion.