About us Login Get email updates
County Fair
Print

Nice debunking.  Now prove that you mean it.

August 11, 2009 11:55 am ET by Jamison Foser

The Washington Post, ABC and other news organizations have debunked Betsy McCaughey's misinformation about end-of-life care in proposed health care reforms.  

That's great.  But there's an obvious next step for news organizations that have reached the (unavoidable) conclusion that McCaughey isn't telling her the truth: Stop taking her seriously.  Immediately and forever.  It has been clear for 15 years that Betsy McCaughey does not tell the truth about health care.  

There is no reason whatsoever to ever give any weight to anything she says.  She isn't an "expert," unless the only qualification for being an expert is repeatedly being wrong and dishonest.  There is no reason whatsoever to ever invite her to appear on your television program, no reason to ever quote her in your news report (unless you're doing so to illustrate and debunk the lies people are telling.)

If the Post or ABC or any of the other news organizations that have concluded McCaughey isn't telling the truth go back to quoting her as though she is anything other than an untrustworthy fraud, it'll tell us more about them than about health care.

Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by nerzog (August 11, 2009 1:48 pm ET)
      1  
      Don't hold your breath. It is in the Corporate Media Whores' best interest to fan the flames and prolong the controversy. If they reported the obvious truth ... that the Republicans are lying through their teeth ... the debate would soon be over... and that would be boring.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Vincenzo (August 11, 2009 2:45 pm ET)
      1  
      Why go with a boring unknown who might actually tell the truth when you can have a controversial practiced liar. No brainer for the media. Remember also that a lie is as good as the truth for wingnuts.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by political_left-religious_right (August 12, 2009 10:35 am ET)
      1  
      Whoa, Jamison, if your standard is going to be that a pundit has to be honest and accurate, then we'll never again see Anne Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Pat Buchanan, Jerome Corsi, William Kristol, Bernard Goldberg, Orly Taitz, etc., on the air ever again. How could you deny us that?
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

About the Blog

Feed Icon
  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.