CNN and Fox misreport health care ruling

Network got it wrong on health care mandate, quickly issued a correction

Posted Jun 28, 2012

Hanna Ingber
GlobalPost

CNN screengrab

Woops! CNNand Fox News this morning incorrectly reported that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled President Barack Obama's health care mandate unconstitutional.

It stated that the court struck down the individual mandate, which requires most Americans to get health insurance by 2014. The Supreme Court actually mostly upheld the mandate.

CNN and Fox reported the misinformation on television, while CNN broadcast it across its website and sent a message on Twitter reading: "Supreme Court strikes down individual mandate portion of health care law," with a link to its Live Blog. The Twitter message shot around the Twittersphere and by 10:26 a.m., less than 20 minutes after it was sent, it had been retweeted 958 times.

CNN also sent a breaking news email alert to subscribers announcing that the mandate had been struck down. Eight minutes later, it sent a correction:

Correction: The Supreme Court backs all parts of President Obama’s signature health care law, including the individual mandate that requires all to have health insurance.

Twitter user Gabrielle Levy captured a moment on the CNN website when it was reporting both the correct and incorrect information:

Gabrielle Levy @gabbilevy

.@kyleykim @GlobalPost Even better, a contradicting @CNN website pic.twitter.com/gWGzy63L

28 Jun 12

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