A Folsom Democratic Club member brought to our attention an email she received recently, asking for our help in refuting its claims. Fortunately, this particular one has already been exhaustively, completely debunked. But it serves as a reminder that people are putting bad information out in the public square.
You may have received this particular email as well. It includes an audio clip from the radio program hosted by conservative talker Mark Levin. In it, a caller claiming to be a “brain surgeon” relates a story of how under the Affordable Care Act, patients over 70 will no longer be approved for advanced neurosurgery.
The caller gave several specific-sounding details about when and how he was informed of this “fact”, which gives it more credibility than it might otherwise carry.
But the story is a complete and total lie.
The Snopes website, which is devoted to investigating rumors and chain emails, has a detailed post about this particular story. Such a directive from HHS does not exist, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, organizers of the conference in question, definitively refuted the caller’s story.
The AANS has repeatedly requested that Mr. Levin’s producers remove the audio clip of this conversation from his website, but so far they have refused to take it down, even though it has been definitively debunked.
Clearly Mark Levin is unconcerned with broadcasting false information to misinform his audience and confuse them about healthcare reform.
The problem is that once this kind of information is introduced into the media, it takes on a life of its own.
What can you do to stop it?
First, when in doubt, don’t pass it on. If something you read in an email or on a website alarms you, take the time to research it more yourself. Start with places like snopes.com, factcheck.org, and Media Matters.
Second, when you do discover that something you’ve received is false or misleading, send back the rebuttal to the originator of the email and everyone else who was copied on it.
This may be uncomfortable for you personally, as it may create some social difficulties for you with the person who sent it to you, but if you approach it in a friendly manner such as, “I’m so glad you sent this to me! I looked it up and the good news is it’s not true. Here’s a link to the rest of the story. Aren’t you relieved?” you can take the high road and treat the other person as someone with good intentions.
If the same person repeatedly bombards you with this kind of material, you can also just ignore it, delete it, or if you feel able, ask them to take you off your distribution list because you’re not interested in receiving them.
Finally, you can also use email and other social media to share with your friends and relatives truthful, accurate reports about current events, the claims of politicians, and stories that research issues in depth. We here at the FDC use our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts to bring you timely information that highlights the accomplishments of our Democratic elected officials. When you read something that you think your circle of friends might benefit from reading, share it.
Our club has fewer than 100 members, but when you add up all the people in each of our social circles, it’s amazing how many people we can influence. Here’s an amazing statistic: according to Facebook, the 57 people who “like” our page have a total of 23,179 Facebook friends.
If you receive a disturbing chain email or read something on a website that portrays our President, other Democratic elected officials or candidates, or existing/proposed legislation in an unflattering light, and you’re not able to debunk it yourself, share it with us and we’ll be glad to help you get the facts so you can pass them along.