Tuesday, August 25, 2009

And now we have death books?

Fox News, NRO, Limbaugh run with "death book" smears

Following false accusations that Democrats' health care reform legislation would institute "death panels" for the elderly, H. James Towey claimed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the Obama administration revived a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) booklet on advanced planning directives that would "steer vulnerable individuals to conclude for themselves that life is not worth living," calling the booklet a "death book." As with the death panel smear, conservative media -- particularly Fox News -- have promoted Towey's false "death book" claim, ignoring facts that undermine Towey's rhetoric.


Fox News freak-out: Guests make extreme claims and accusations about health care

In recent weeks, Fox News has hosted numerous individuals who advanced extreme, outrageous claims about health care reform at prior congressional town hall meetings, during their interviews, or both. For example, on Fox, one guest claimed that under health reform, he might have to "let" his wife "suffer until she passes on," while another claimed of Democratic leaders, "[Y]our thugs already know where we live. We've had a visit from them in the middle of the night."

Fox News uses "death book" lie to revive "death panels" lie

Following several days in which Fox News promoted the smear that an educational booklet on end-of-life decisions used by the Veterans Health Administration is a "death book," Fox News host Megyn Kelly and Fox News contributor Jonah Goldberg used a discussion about the booklet to revive the falsehood that Democratic health care reform legislation would institute "death panels." Kelly also falsely claimed that the booklet encourages veterans to "hurry up and die" and that VHA officials are "required" to refer patients to it.

Yes Virgina, some people think Republicans are a viable party...

Posted via web from Jim Nichols

No comments:

Post a Comment