One of the most loosely used words in current American political discussion and screamfests (the two are not always the same) is the word “lie.” A difference of perspective and an actual lie are not the same thing. So what are the actual “lies’ in the healthcare debate?
Watch this CNN report on rumors about healthcare reform that are being spread as fact — not just on the Internet but on some talk shows. Note that neither side comes out pristine on this:
The question: whether such political “urban legends” are used against Democrats or Republicans, how can those who are the target of the urban legends combat them? And what can be done to combat what is literally misinformation in general that spreads at lighthing speed due to the new media as American heads into what is shaping up to be a very turbulent and angry 21st century?
In the case of healthcare, the White House started a website to try and combat the inaccurate stuff “out there.” But whether these kinds of bits of information forwarded by email or spready by talk show hosts who have to get more and more outrageous to increase viewership in a nice market are used against one side or the other, the troubling fact is this: people who believe such urban legends a)don’t want to unbelieve them and b)will consider ay source that tries to explain what’s true or not as a tool of their opponents.
So what’s the solution — and what does this say about where the U.S. is heading in its politics?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.