Why CNN and Fox got the Supreme Court ACA decision wrong (SCOTUSblog investigation)

[PoliticAverse]

We’re getting wildly differing assessments

The announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision largely upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Thursday, June 28 precipitated a genuine media drama. Millions tuned in to get the result in real time, and were rewarded with the spectacle of two major news networks reporting the story incorrectly. Indeed, the President himself was in limbo while his staff raced to find out whether the Court had struck down his signature policy initiative.

I have taken a deep dive into those events; my first effort at real journalism. The following is the story of what happened at the Supreme Court, SCOTUSblog, CNN, Fox News, and the White House that day between 10:06 (when the Court released the opinion) and 10:15 (when CNN reversed itself and reported that the mandate had been upheld). Everything is based on interviews with those directly involved; nothing is second hand.

Read the rest: http://www.scotusblog.com/2012/07/were-getting-wildly-differing-assessments/

[OKNancy]

1. just started reading this article, but stopped to post...

Our problem at the moment is that someone is trying to crash the blog. At 10:00 exactly, hackers are launching a “distributed denial of service” attack with 1,000 page views per second to try and bring us down. It does not work; our tremendous Deputy Manager Max Mallory has spent months augmenting our capacity, and the hackers give up after a few minutes.

I didn't know this. Now who could have done such a thing? Who would want the best information site out there to crash?
hummmmmm

[KurtNYC]

14. perhaps someone who is playing the stock market

in those 12 minutes before the decision is correctly relayed (?)

[Bolo Boffin]

18. Why ascribe to malice what is easily explained by general douchebaggery?

Stupid hackers looking for a scalp fits what little I've heard about this.

[Tx4obama]

2. I will try to remember to read the long article on OP link tomorrow, BUT ...

I wanted to mention that someone (I don't remember who it was) said in an article, or on TV, a day or so after the ruling that IF the reporters had read the 'summary page' then they could have known which way the ruling came down in less than a minute by seeing the list of the justices names that signed onto the majority decision.

When you see a list of names that include:

Ginsburg
Breyer
Sotomayor
Kagan
Roberts

it should be obvious to anyone which way the court went

Thought I'd toss that out.

[pnwmom]

4. LOL, you're right. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. The problem is that they are vultures. Creaming their pants for days and weeks just

waiting for the Court to overturn the law. Problem is that the Corporate Media is so hellbent on reporting a loss for Obama that they are refusing to do their jobs. In their haste to report bad news for Obama, they fucked up!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. This description of Bill Hemmer is a joke.

Fox has also assigned one of its most experienced and respected anchors, Bill Hemmer, to lead its coverage.

He's a long time hack even back when he was on CNN.

Malloy tore him a new one years ago:

http://server4.whiterosesociety.org/content/malloy/MalloyMemories/Hammer_Hemmer.mp3

[nxylas]

6. The two statements aren't mutually exclusive

"{O}ne of {Fox News's} most experienced and respected anchors" isn't exactly setting the bar very high.

[PCIntern]

7. Great clip! Thanks! nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Unbelievable...

One unit in the White House who didn't have a TV on saw the ACA was upheld according to the Supreme Court's own blog so one of them rushed down to the Oval Office to tell the President the good news but she stopped when she saw the TVs showing CNN and FOX "News" reporting it was struck down.

Meanwhile at the height of the despair a one word email hit everyone's inbox.

Victory

I like the way it says they "flagged" CNN and FOX "News" at that point.

IOW:

[img][/img]

[dipsydoodle]

8. Important

but not so much as if they've fucked up on "Germany invaded Poland" corrected to "Germany didn't invade Poland - WW2 a mistake."

[KeepItReal]

9. Informative play-by-play

K&R

[davidpdx]

10. CNN and Fox fucked up

This is what the networks get for jumping the gun. Same thing with Florida in 2000. In 2008 they were really careful about projecting states for candidates. You think they would have learned. I guess not.

[bemildred]

11. Lying is their job, pretty much, you know? nt

[davidpdx]

12. Here is where I disagree with SCOTUSblog

Both CNN and Fox were concerned first and foremost with getting the decision right.

No, CNN and Fox were most concerned about being FIRST! He is being way too generous in his assessment.

[Gman]

13. Very good story

[KurtNYC]

15. Classic old media stomped by new media story

The MSM couldn't find their own butts without a Googlemap or the Wikipedia entry.

SCOTUSBlog = pros
MSM = hairdos

[madmom]

16. One thing I'm curious about is...

with all the betting going on as to which way the courts would come down on this, how much money was lost or made, by this wrong report. I will be the first to admit I no very very little about the stock market and the like, but if they had their fingers on the button to sell/buy so to speak, wouldn't they do it immediately upon hearing it? What I'd like to know was who lost, but more importantly who gained?

[Doctor_J]

17. I am still pretty sure that Fox

thought they could MAKE the decision go their way, like they did in Nov 2000. CNN is not really much different than Fox, either.

Anyway, both couldn't wait to celebrate a defeat for Obama and real Americans, so they just lied as usual

[mulsh]

20. wait, I thought CNN & Fox just wrote the story days before the decision came down.

guess I'll have to finish reading that article.