There have now been FIVE federal court rulings on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Of this, only two of them have gone against the ruling and one of them was only against part of it (the federal mandate).
So, how has the media discussed these rulings? Here’s the answer in graphical from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:
Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly has more:
As a legal matter, none of these ruling is more important than the other — they’re all at the federal district level, they’re all dealing with the same law, and they’ll all be subjected to an appeal.And yet, the discrepancy is overwhelming. In every instance, conservative rulings get more coverage, longer articles, and better placement.
Benen quotes Ezra Klein who ascribes the discrepancy to the fact that overturning the ACA is a big change where rulings upholding the ACA are simply maintaining the status quo.
With all due respect to Klein (someone I respect and adore): bullshit.
This is a landmark law. It’s some of the most transformative and game-changing legislation passed in decades. Attacks on it are news whether they are successful or not. The giant disparity in reporting is yet another example of how positively false the entire “liberal media” meme is. Reporters may, by and large, be liberal leaning (probably because they are better informed than most), but their bosses and those that make decisions on what articles run and which news items are important are not.
This isn’t just a claim. It’s a fact clearly demonstrated on a nearly daily basis with empirical evidence displayed on the front pages of nearly every newspaper in the country.
I’m just sayin’…
