Watch how MSM deals with the medical aspect of Schiavo and learn

[Az]

They are playing two doctors against each other. One doctor says Terri's brain is hopelessly damaged and one doctor is claiming she is treatable. They don't mention that the doctor offering hope is more zealot than doctor. They just offer them up as opposing voices in a complex situation.

This tactic leaves the people unable to turn to professional opinion to inform their opinions. Its two doctors. What do they know compared to two doctors. In such a scenario of course people are going to side with whomever offers the better prognosis.

This is how our media is letting us down. This is the Fox style we report you decide. By creating a situation of misinformation and dismantling any sort of expert opinion they can force an emotional descision on people where a rational descision should be instead.

This is how the right has usurped the media. By making sure there is a counter voice to the experts that they object to they create doubt. With no experts able to descisively lend their voice to a situation the people are left emotionally pliable to the right. Complex social situations that the left typically tried to deal with are muddled beyond recognition by this tactic and reason is tossed to the side.

[underpants]

1. Was one of them Dr. HAMMESFAHR?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200503220002

[Az]

3. Yep

Wanna bet that they won't make mention of the fact that he wrote in his report that she should be able to be taken off the feeding tube because she is such good condition?

[underpants]

5. And now for religious view of medicine-the 700 Club Doctor

In February 2003, the Florida Board of Medicine ruled that he violated state law by charging a patient for services that were not provided (Finding of Fact No. 71, PDF p. 32). The board fined Hammesfahr $2,000, placed him on probation for six months, and ordered him to pay approximately $52,000 in administrative costs and to perform 100 hours of community service. While the board also ruled that Hammesfahr's treatment of stroke patients, using a procedure he has claimed could help Terri Schiavo, was "not within the generally accepted standard of care" (Finding of Fact No. 55, PDF p. 33), it declined to rule that the treatment was harmful to his patients and noted that some patients improved after treatment.

[onenote]

2. great point

I was noticing this morning how many of the "reporters" talk about Terri "starving" to death and how they ask the "experts" whether she'll suffer. These reporters have been covering this story for days and weeks. They know the answers, but they persist in acting like they don't know. They do a huge disservice. Even as they claim to promote "Living Wills" they create the implression that discontinuing hydration and nutrition results in a slow, agonizing death. I bet a number of these media types have executed advanced directives that authorize discontinuing hydration/nutrition and they know perfectly well they arent' condemning themselves to some tortured end. What a crock.

onenote

[Toucano]

4. Everything is a "He said, she said."

Mercury pollution isn't THAT harmful.

The jury is still out on evolution.

The Aug. 6th PDB was HISTORICAL information. No action was required.

Social security is in crisis and threatens the war on terror.

_______________________________

Facts mean absolutely nothing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own facts in America today.

Reason is dead.

[htuttle]

8. "Facts are stupid things."

-- President Ronald Reagan

[wtmusic]

6. well

I don't disagree with that technique per se, as long as there's no obvious disparity between the competence of the two doctors (as in Hannity/Colmes). If a doctor can't make a persuasive case re:Schiavo they are pretty incompetent.

[Az]

10. This is a problem science and medicine often have with the religious right

Scientists work under the presumption that you offer the evidence and the supporting arguments and everyone should take these into account and procede from there. When faced with someone that is not using proper scientific methodologies they become confused why anyone would give them any credit or listen to them in the first place. Thus they tend not to waste effort dealing with such opposition.

Meanwhile the religious right throws out unfounded arguments that sound reasonable to those not vested in the field. And since the scientific community doesn't rise to the challenge they go uncriticized.

Its the same thing going on in the MSM. The right has taken time and effort to create a huge collection of active spokespeople ready to counter any issue that rises in our society. The left has no such group at its beck and call. And even if it did the left tends to favor the truth over forcing their position. Thus they would push towards an unbiased objective opinion while the right would be forcing their partisan issue on the arena.

It creates a nullification of evidence and experts. Its very effective because the world is so complicated that we have to rely on experts to form our opinions about matters. With these experts effectively silenced emotionalism and manipulation take hold and rule the day.

[wtmusic]

11. We probably take too much for granted

If they presented an "expert" who testified that the world is indeed flat, there would no doubt be an element who would fall for it completely

[Selteri]

7. The 'family' doctor

has come out with a lot of radical crazy statements over the past few years if you look him up.

He's a real doctor, but he really shouldn't be with some of his far out claims.

[Walt Starr]

9. He's a quack

according to Quackwatch:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/tcd.html

[DeepModem Mom]

12. You're so right -- this is what passes for reporting --

There are NOT two sides to every issue. Sometimes there's just right and wrong, facts and no-facts.