It was fascinating to see Fox News become the first to report today's decision by the US Supreme Court.  But they got it wrong .. triumphantly reporting that Obamacare had been ruled unconstitutional.

CNN seemed to go along with that view.  MSNBC seemed to be the last of the three cable news network to know what was going on .. they had definitely been scooped .. BUT THEY GOT IT RIGHT.

The so-called 'individual mandate' .. forcing everybody to buy health care coverage .. was unconstitutional under one approach, BUT was going to be allowed when the enforcement penalty was considered to be a tax.

The outcome of this ruling is a huge political victory for President Obama.  It was widely considered to be the potential iceberg on which the Obama reelection campaign would be wrecked.

Quite a lesson here for broadcast journalists.  Yes, for sure, try to "get it first":
but "first get it right."

I've seen this before with big court rulings here in Canada as well, there is so much s**t to read so the reporters skim through and think they've got it, and then later realize, wait, that's wrong.    

As for Obama, I think this is bad news for him, it will stir up the Republican base even more, and keep the Obama supporters at home, but that's just one way to think about it.  

CNN gets Obamacare Supreme Court ruling wrong, mocked on Twitter

courtesy Vancouver Sun
June 28, 2012 9:02 AM

    
    Supporters of the Affordable Healthcare Act celebrate in front of the Supreme Court after the court upheld the
     legality of the law in Washington June 28, 2012. A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday
     upheld the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare overhaul law that requires that
                                most Americans get insurance by 2014 or pay a financial penalty.

                                        Photograph by: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts , National Post

Thursday was a rough day for CNN, FOX and other news outlets that jumped the gun on the Supreme Court decision on the U.S. Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. Shortly after the decision was made public, CNN incorrectly reported that Obamacare had been struck down.

The network said that the Supreme Court "killed" the individual mandate provision, one of the most controversial parts of Obamacare.

CNN later reported that the law may have been "upheld" then said the individual mandate was "partly upheld, partly struck down."

The network finally correctly reported that the Obamacare had been upheld.

CNN wasn't alone. FOX News reported that the Supreme Court found the "individual mandate unconstitutional."

Social media had a field day with CNN's struggles. Twitter created the #CNNHeadlines hashtag that featured botched reporting.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/he.....y.html#ixzz1z6YTpPGe