After watching What the Fact: Health Care Terms Explained, consider the question(s) below. Then “submit” your response.
1. This video provides a breakdown of the different health-care proposals discussed in the 2020 election season. Do you believe media coverage provides enough detailed information about candidates’ proposed health-care policies? Find examples of media coverage of candidates’ policies, and use them to explain your reasoning.
2. This video uses a Kaiser Family Foundation poll to illustrate how the wording of a survey question can influence responses to that particular question. Find an election-related article or post that references a poll, then examine the polling question(s) that are included. (Pew Research Center and Gallup are good sources for political polls if you can’t locate a relevant newspaper or magazine article.) Analyze the wording of the polling question(s) that are referenced. Are the question(s) written in an impartial way? Do you believe that the wording of the question(s) influenced the polling results and the corresponding story? If so, how? Consider how you might rewrite the question(s) if you wanted to obtain different results.
3. This video demonstrates how to consider the veracity of claims made by candidates on the campaign trail. What, if any, ethical issues arise from basing claims on questionable interpretations of poll data, such as the misleading poll results discussed in the video? If the wording of polling questions influences results, how can we be certain that individuals running for public office are basing their claims and policies on factual information? What responsibilities do media organizations have when covering claims made by candidates? Should candidates be encouraged to better clarify their own statements, positions, and policies? Consider why candidates might choose to highlight only certain aspects of their proposed policies.