{"id":326713,"date":"2017-09-19T07:44:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T06:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/vox-hedges-headline-in-fit-of-single-payer-skepticism\/"},"modified":"2017-09-19T07:44:35","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T06:44:35","slug":"vox-hedges-headline-in-fit-of-single-payer-skepticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/vox-hedges-headline-in-fit-of-single-payer-skepticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Vox Hedges Headline in Fit of Single-Payer Skepticism"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_5592672\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/fair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Vox-Bernie-Sanders-Thinks.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-5592672\" src=\"http:\/\/fair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Vox-Bernie-Sanders-Thinks.png\" alt=\"Vox: Bernie Sanders explains why he thinks everything short of Medicare-for-all is failure\" width=\"350\" height=\"380\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>It could not be determined whether a scarier-looking image of Bernie Sanders was available to <strong>Vox<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>Vox.com<\/b>, which brands itself as both a news source and an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/explainers\">\u201cexplainer\u201d<\/a> of news, constructs many of its headlines around the word \u201cwhy.\u201d These include opinion essays (e.g., \u201cWhy Now Is Such a Strange Era in American Political History<b>,\u201d <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/polyarchy\/2017\/9\/6\/16262266\/now-strange-era-american-political-history\">9\/6\/17<\/a>) or interviews (\u201cA Veteran GOP Strategist Explains Why Conservative Elites Put Up With Trump\u2019s Lies and Corruption,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2017\/3\/22\/14990838\/why-republican-elites-back-trump\">3\/22\/17<\/a>). The headline style assures the reader that they can turn to <b>Vox<\/b> to understand the reasons behind current affairs.<\/p>\n<p><b>Vox<\/b>\u2019s lead story on Wednesday (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2017\/9\/13\/16297228\/bernie-sanders-medicare-single-payer\">9\/13\/17<\/a>) used the same structure, with a curious (and clunky) twist: \u201cBernie Sanders Explains Why He Thinks Everything Short of Medicare-for-All Is Failure.\u201d The unnecessary addition of \u201che thinks\u201d to the formula sacrifices elegance for \u00a0an extra layer of skepticism.<\/p>\n<p>The same format shows up in cases where <b>Vox<\/b> is overtly trying to discourage the reader from accepting their subject\u2019s claims, as in the headline, \u201cUnderstanding the Fear of Vaccines: An Activist Explains Why He Buys a Debunked Idea\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2015\/2\/4\/7972335\/dan-olmsted-anti-vaxxers\">2\/4\/15<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Sanders\u2019 claim, while no conspiracy theory, is certainly controversial. Yet controversial and often partisan claims are \u201cexplained\u201d in <b>Vox<\/b>\u2019s headlines without similar distancing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>\u201cA House Republican Explains Why Ryan Should Throw Away His Bill and Try Again\u201d <\/b><b>\u00a0(<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2017\/3\/21\/14982250\/freedom-caucus-ryancare\"><b>3\/21\/17<\/b><\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><b>\u201cAn Ex-CIA Officer Explains Why Intelligence Officials \u2018Absolutely Can&#8217;t Trust\u2019 Trump\u201d <\/b>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/conversations\/2017\/5\/16\/15645008\/donald-trump-russia-cia-isis\">5\/16\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><b>\u201cThis Cartoon Explains Why the Revised GOP Healthcare Bill Is an Attack on Sick People\u201d<\/b> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/health-care\/2017\/7\/14\/15971764\/republican-health-bill-sick-cartoon\">7\/14\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><b>\u201cBernie Sanders Explains Why Trump Is So Dangerous\u201d <\/b>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2017\/6\/22\/15848468\/bernie-sanders-trump-dangerous-authoritarian\">6\/22\/17<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In fact, <b>Vox<\/b> has published dozens of headlines in the past two years using this exact format, and has almost never sought the extra degree of editorial separation provided by \u201cexplains why he\/she thinks.\u201d A search of their website yields only <i>two <\/i>other headlines that are similar to Wednesday\u2019s, one of which is \u201cShaun King Explains Why He Thinks the Democratic Party Can\u2019t Be Saved\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2016\/5\/26\/11778158\/shaun-king-democratic-party\">5\/26\/16<\/a>), a critique of the Democratic Party leadership for its conservatism and ties to big business.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-5592675\" src=\"http:\/\/fair.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Typical-Vox-Headlines-1024x670.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"601\" height=\"393\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Media Companies in Tough Spot on Single-Payer<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Vox<\/b>\u2019s headline-meddling provides an insight into corporate media\u2019s approach to hot-button issues like single-payer health insurance. The support in the Senate for Sanders\u2019 \u201cMedicare-for-All\u201d legislation is forcing news outlets to revise their approach to single-payer, which <b>NPR<\/b> casually dismissed as a \u201cpolitical nonstarter\u201d in February (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2017\/02\/28\/517720563\/what-if-you-could-take-it-with-you-health-insurance-that-is\">2\/28\/17<\/a>, via <b>Kaiser Health News<\/b>). The Medicare-for-All proposal (AKA \u201csingle-payer\u201d), which would provide all US citizens with no-premium, no-deductible health insurance, faces numerous political challenges, including Republican rhetoric about socialism and government interference; centrist Democrat rhetoric about impracticality and untimeliness; and corporate lobbying from the massive, extremely profitable private healthcare industry.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing to promote single-payer, then, would put any media company at odds with powerful entities that they rely on for journalistic access or other support. Adam Johnson, writing for <b>FAIR.org <\/b>(<a href=\"http:\/\/fair.org\/home\/media-attacking-single-payer-are-getting-paid-under-current-system\/\">1\/30\/16<\/a>) last year, pointed out that <b>Vox<\/b>\u2019s owner <b>Comcast<\/b> has deep financial ties to the healthcare industry, as well as a close, mutualistic relationship with the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p><b>NPR<\/b> reports about healthcare in partnership with <b>Kaiser Health News<\/b> (<b>KHN<\/b>)\u2014the news service of the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Both KFF and <b>KHN <\/b>claim independence\u2014from each other, and from their financial supporters, which include health insurance companies and their foundations. As Johnson wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Kaiser Family Foundation is itself <a href=\"http:\/\/990s.foundationcenter.org\/990pf_pdf_archive\/946\/946064808\/946064808_201412_990PF.pdf\">invested<\/a> in a number of healthcare-focused portfolios, including Berkshire Hathaway, which has a stake in healthcare tech companies like Sanofi and DaVita.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>NPR<\/b>\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/about\/annualreports\/2016_Annual_Report.pdf\">corporate sponsors for 2016<\/a> included Aetna, UnitedHealth Group, PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) and a slew of other healthcare industry entities.<\/p>\n<p><b>Avoiding the Issue<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Where do all these hidden influences surface in media coverage? The same dutiful skepticism that inspired <b>Vox<\/b> to alter its standard headline format shapes these outlets\u2019 coverage\u2014what they choose to question and what they take for granted.<\/p>\n<p>While they can no longer call it a \u201cnonstarter,\u201d journalists and editors can still downplay the uncomfortable side of the debate\u2014the healthcare corporations and wealthy individuals that care about their bottom line, rather than the human need for healthcare, and the political influence those sectors wield.<\/p>\n<p>News outlets can minimize the powerful economic interests at play by presenting us with an alternate reality in which honest politicians reject single-payer merely because they worry it\u2019s not politically or economically practical. <b>NPR<\/b>\u2019s Scott Detrow (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/08\/11\/542676994\/bernie-sanders-knows-his-medicare-for-all-bill-wont-pass-thats-not-the-point\">8\/11\/17<\/a>) thus validates Nancy Pelosi\u2019s rejection of single-payer:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The resistance is tactical, not ideological. It took decades to pass something like Obamacare. And the fear is that despite what polls might suggest, something as aggressive as single-payer just isn&#8217;t politically feasible right now.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>NPR.org<\/b>\u2019s most recent write-up (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/09\/14\/550768280\/heres-whats-in-bernie-sanders-medicare-for-all-bill\">9\/14\/17<\/a>) devotes a section to \u201cthe politics\u201d of single-payer, addressing why it is still considered fringe in Congress, despite being favored by the majority of Americans in polls (KFF, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kff.org\/health-reform\/poll-finding\/data-note-modestly-strong-but-malleable-support-for-single-payer-health-care\/\">7\/5\/17<\/a>). <b>NPR <\/b>explains that \u201cpolling is tricky.\u201d For a different angle, a recent study by <b>Maplight <\/b>(<a href=\"https:\/\/maplight.org\/story\/democratic-holdouts-on-medicare-for-all-have-received-twice-as-much-insurance-industry-cash-as-sponsors\/\">9\/14\/17<\/a>) concluded that \u201cDemocratic senators who haven\u2019t signed on to Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 \u2018Medicare for All\u201d proposal have received twice as much cash from the insurance industry as the bill\u2019s sponsors.\u201d The <b>Maplight<\/b> study was unmentioned by <b>NPR<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>The vast majority of Americans think that politicians are influenced by corporate cash in how they vote (<b>New York Times<\/b>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2015\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/money-in-politics-poll.html\">6\/2\/15<\/a>), and that the government and big businesses \u201coften work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors\u201d (<b>Rasmussen<\/b>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rasmussenreports.com\/public_content\/politics\/questions\/pt_survey_questions\/june_2016\/questions_government_and_big_business_june_31_july_3_2016\">7\/6\/16<\/a>). In other words, people are ready to hear a more realistic narrative\u2014one that acknowledges the class conflict at play beyond traditional partisan bickering.<\/p>\n<p>Avoiding this class conflict narrative means having to find other ways to explain why single-payer is so hard to achieve. News outlets can oversell other aspects of the narrative\u2014the \u201ctrickiness\u201d of polling, or the political risk posed by the necessary increase in government spending.<\/p>\n<p><b>NPR.org<\/b>\u2019s rundown on the bill (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/09\/14\/550768280\/heres-whats-in-bernie-sanders-medicare-for-all-bill\">9\/14\/17<\/a>) raised the specter of the Urban Institute\u2019s 2016 claim that Sanders\u2019 plan would increase federal spending by $32 trillion over a decade. <b>NPR <\/b>totals up Sanders\u2019 revenue plan for comparison, but like the Urban Institute study itself (<b>Huffington Post<\/b>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/david-himmelstein\/the-urban-institutes-attack-on-single-payer-ridiculous-assumptions-yield-ridiculous-estimates_b_9876640.html\">5\/9\/16<\/a>), <b>NPR<\/b> ignores the plan\u2019s prediction of savings in administrative costs and drug costs (despite its inclusion on the front page), and thus misrepresents what Sanders\u2019 financial proposal says.<\/p>\n<p>Most significantly, the article makes no attempt to compare the study\u2019s purported $32 trillion price tag with the amounts that Americans\u2014individuals and government\u2014are projected to spend over the next ten years: $49 trillion (<b>Washington Post<\/b>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/plum-line\/wp\/2017\/07\/06\/the-dumbest-criticism-of-single-payer-health-care\/?utm_term=.a212890d82d2\">7\/6\/17<\/a>). More than half of this spending is private, much of which would be eliminated in a single-payer system.<\/p>\n<p>In awkward headlines and gaping plot holes, we find evidence of the discomfort that comes with challenging the political establishment, the healthcare industry and the richest Americans all at once. An honest narrative would outline the difficulty in implementing single-payer healthcare in terms of political power and class conflict. Nobody can realistically argue that the US could not raise the funds to insure its entire population, but <b>Vox<\/b> and <b>NPR<\/b> may not be the most prepared to explain to us who stands in the way\u2014and why.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span><br \/>\nThis piece was reprinted by <a href=\"http:\/\/rinf.com\">RINF Alternative News<\/a> with permission from <a href=\"http:\/\/fair.org\/home\/vox-hedges-headline-in-fit-of-single-payer-skepticism\/\">FAIR<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It could not be determined whether a scarier-looking image of Bernie Sanders was available to Vox. Vox.com, which brands itself as both a news source and an \u201cexplainer\u201d of news, constructs many of its headlines around the word \u201cwhy.\u201d These include opinion essays (e.g., \u201cWhy Now Is Such a Strange Era in American Political History,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[519],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-326713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-newswire"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326713\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}