The Bloodying of PolitiFact (Columbia Journalism Review)

“The genius of Medicare was that it included poor people and the middle class. It wasn’t designed as charity or welfare,” said Harvard government professor Theda Skocpo back in 2003. This, says Trudy Lieberman, is precisely why the program has sustained popular support over the years. And, she goes on to write, it’s why the media should shoulder the burden of Medicare education. Few people, journalists included, understand Medicare, but it impacts all of us, and it’s important. To that end, Politifact’s flashy “Lie of the Year” story, claiming that Democrats lied by accusing GOP leaders were out to end Medicare, is exactly the opposite of what we need. Sure, it invites snarky comments and a fair amount of media attention. But it doesn’t educate or spark any kind of meaningful discussion – the things this failing program really needs.