Reuters Has Left the News Business

Yes, it is official. Reuters has left the news business.

I admit it. This isn't news to anyone who reads with a critical eye. Just, this article about the current Michael Mooreon film, it's such an excellent example of how to write propaganda, I had to bring it up again. http://www.reuters.com/article/reviewsNews/idUSN2027073520070521

First lesson: Get your main falsehood in early, before people stop reading. Less than 20 words in, we encounter "Sicko" posits an uncontroversial, if not incontrovertible, proposition: The health care system in the U.S. is sick." Uncontroversial? Better look around Reuters. There are millions of us who think the US health care system works better than the Canadian or British systems. Many of them are Canadians and Brits, people who come to the USA for treatments they can not get or not get in a timely manner from their medical systems. That is, if they can afford to come after their governments suck the taxes for their "FREE" health care out of their pockets.

Second lesson: Make your lies sound like the masses agree. Remember the Soviet "Bolsheviks?" The minority who gained power in good part simply by calling themselves the majority. (Bolshevik is Russian for majority.) While the discussion is, as always with Moore, a uniquely American one, audiences in Europe and other markets will want to eavesdrop for the sheer fun of seeing Americans wallow in problems they solved years ago. Do freaking tell.

Those of you living in northern tier states know better. If you've needed high end care, you've probably waited longer than you wanted because the system was full of Canadians who couldn't get that care at home. Unlike Reuters, I won't ask you to take my word for this. Here's a recent article from a drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria and founder of Media Doctor Canada, which evaluates reporting of medical treatments in Canada’s media: http://commonground.ca/iss/0705190/cg190_drugbust.shtml

G=Four paragraphs into a 3 page article. If you're looking for something to write a master's thesis on, this display of propaganda is a great place to start. If you're not, read the article with a critical eye and see how hard Kirk Honeycutt works to spin you.

If you agree with me, contact a Reuters editor and give 'em hell: http://today.reuters.com/HelpAndInfo/ContactUs.aspx