One of the reasons I supported Obama is because he championed healthcare reform. It has been very difficult for me to lose optimism watching the deterioration of healthcare reform proceedings. The most frustrating thing about the healthcare reform discussion has not been the predictable attempts by the right wing to undermine Democrats or the insurance industry protecting its interest by spreading misinformation, but the media’s willingness to give airtime to things they know are untrue for the sake of drama and “entertainment” which yield ratings. You can expect this crap from Fox, but all the rest of media will have to take responsibility for the health issues of the uninsured if their “ratings vs. facts” approach dooms healthcare reform. Access to information is crucial for people to make informed decisions and those decisions should be based on truth, not fear. The media needs to be more responsible… the welfare of a large portion of the nation is at stake. I finally saw an editorial that addresses media responsibility, the elephant in the room. Please check it out and let media outlets know we deserve better..
-Shepard

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-gabler23-2009aug23,0,4834705.story