My favourite myth: Obama stated he did not read the reform bill

The internet is a rich source of information, we all know that. And most of us should know, that there is at least as much rubbish on it as there is really good stuff. The greatest strength of this form of media, the fact that everyone can actively participate, is also a source of danger when it comes to reliable information. Untruths and misinterpretations spread enormously fast nowadays. This is also what happened July 2009, when a specific utterance by Barack Obama at a conference for bloggers was turned into one of the most famous myths concerning the health care reform.

“Morning Bell: Obama Admits He’s “Not Familiar” With House Bill”

Or

“Obama admittedly 'not familiar' with key provision of health bill”

And here is the original audio of the interview:

So, what had happened? Some people interpreted Obama’s statement the way that he cannot answer the question because he is not informed about the health care bill’s contents and this caused a huge discussion, as you might also see in the comments following the articles above.

 

The thing they did not realise, as other sources found out subsequently, is that Obama implied that the provision the man was talking about simply does not exist in the bill, so it becomes clear why he does not know it.

I think this is a great example of how ordinary misinterpretations influenced the online debate about the whole reform. Just think about Sarah Palin’s “death panels”…