Major Media Outlets Blunder In Reporting Supreme Court Health Care Ruling
NEW YORK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A bid for speed in reporting the Supreme Court's decision on President Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act tripped up some news organizations on Thursday.
Both CNN and Fox News Channel incorrectly reported that the law's central provision, requiring virtually all Americans to have health insurance, had been struck down.
Both networks backtracked when it became clear that the court upheld the provision.
Broadcast networks interrupted regular programming to deliver special reports and generally got it right.
To get the news out quickly, competitive news organizations had to wade through pages of legal writing and decipher whether or not the mandate had been upheld themselves.
Meanwhile, reaction was swift around the country.
Outside the Supreme Court, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) called it "a great day for Americans."
"It is a great day. It is a great day for Americans. Not for one party or the other or for an ideology, but for the 34 million Americans who will access to affordable and available health care," she said.
EXTRA: Click Here For More Local Reaction
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the decision "disappointing."
"I've been clear from the very beginning that I do not believe a one-size-fits-all health care program works for the entire country and that each governor should have the ability to make decisions about what works best for their state," Christie said in a statement. "Today's Supreme Court decision is disappointing and I still believe this is the wrong approach for the people of New Jersey who should be able to make their own judgments about health care."
For the latest on health care reform, stay with CBSNewYork.com.
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
