Role of Journalists as Fact-Checkers (PART II)

This past month, I've written about the role of journalists as fact-checkers and the often contentious debate it can spawn. Since then, I've been on the look-out for instances where journalists challenge political activist/operatives or politicians, more often than not in contentious ways. Even if the journalist isn't intending to be contentious, the resulting conversation is often rife with bickering, interruptions, and a general feeling of, "What did I just watch?" It's the kind of television that puts you on the edge of your seat, and ripens your faith in journalism as an investigative and vital profession and institution.

This week, I want to bring to your attention a cringe-worthy exchange between Wolf Blitzer and Michele Bachmann. The issue at hand is, naturally, the Affordable Care Act and its impending implementation when open enrollment commences at the beginning of October. Among the assertions that Bachmann posits is that 30 million Americans are going to lose their insurance as a result of "Obamacare." Wolf Blitzer surprised me here, as he challenges her statement, saying, "I'm not sure where you're getting those numbers. That's not true. You'll have to show me your numbers." The conversation develops into an almost openly hostile one, with Blitzer eventually recognizing that he's dealing some difficult questions to Bachmann.

Of course, when people are comparing President Obama to Hitler and the ACA to Nazism, I'd like journalists to ask them some tough questions. But that's just me. Watch the full clip in all its brutal and cringe-inducing glory here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/27/wolf-blitzer-michele-bachmann-obamacare_n_4004727.html