Posted on 12/09/2010 7:14:47 PM PST by The Looking Spoon
At the height of the health care reform debate last fall, Bill Sammon, Fox News' controversial Washington managing editor, sent a memo directing his network's journalists not to use the phrase "public option."
Instead, Sammon wrote, Fox's reporters should use "government option" and similar phrases -- wording that a top Republican pollster had recommended in order to turn public opinion against the Democrats' reform efforts....
Two months prior to Sammon's 2009 memo, Republican pollster Frank Luntz appeared on Sean Hannity's August 18 Fox News program. Luntz scolded Hannity for referring to the "public option" and encouraged Hannity to use "government option" instead.
Luntz argued that "if you call it a 'public option,' the American people are split," but that "if you call it the 'government option,' the public is overwhelmingly against it." Luntz explained that the program would be "sponsored by the government" and falsely claimed that it would also be "paid for by the government."
Read the rest at Media Matters
Oh yeah, Fox News is SO BUSTED! If I could high-five the peeps over at Media Matters I would do it after they got done counting out the fingers they'd need to hold up.
Actually, what they did on this issue isn't slanting news, it's slanting reality. If Fox News lived in it they would know that the other networks said "public option" because they understood that the government is just a spectator in the health care peepshow.
So there would be no need to lie about it being a government option...its a public option....paid for with tax money the government collects, and then distributes to the programs designed by it, administered by its employees, regulated by the government, and enforced by the
That crazy right-wing cult Fox calls a news network should be ashamed of itself for dishonestly confusing the public into thinking their "option" had anything to do with the government.
honor system government.
Meanwhile, the entire state-run media will all use the same Democrat talking-points-of-the-day, but that’s OK.
Sarc Tag Off.
“..directing his network’s journalists not to use the phrase “public option.”..Instead, Sammon wrote, Fox’s reporters should use “government option”..”
This is a joke right. All the crap all the other networks have done to literally prove they are far left and this is the best they can come up with on FOX? I need my boots.
Huh? so how are they “busted”, exactly? Fox does a hell of a lot more fair presenting the “left” POV than CNN or MSNBC presents the “right”.
So what would they call the other networks when they refer to the government option by its leftist-friendly term, “Public” option?
Wow. Gee. Really?
Well, thank you, Media Matters (very little)! What would we do without you pointing out this “bias” at FOXNews? *gasps* Like whoa!
Now, hopefully, you guys checked into CNN for bias and ... oh! You didn’t? Well, maybe you got the other alphabets for their slanted reporting, right? No?
Figures. Hypocrites.
In related news, they sent a memo instructing reporters that the color of the sky should be referred to as “blue.”
So, which term “Public Option” or “Government Option” better describes what the Democrats’ intend for healthcare?
“Huh? so how are they “busted”, exactly?”
They are ‘busted’ for not following the liberal MSM script and terms, made by the DNC and spoonfed to the liberal MSM.
“public option” was a slanted political consultant-concocted term for govt-run health insurance plan.
Fox ‘busted’ for telling it like it is.
LOL! Thats good...so true...
Agreed, you should’ve seen the headline for the Media Matters link on Memeorandum. You’d think this was the smoking gun they’ve been looking for.
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