The perfect journalists are usually unimaginable writers with a definite circulate. The perfect editors adapt to that circulate and improve the writing, not disjoint it. This is when an organization’s editorial voice can come in and screw all the things up — like NCS did in September.
To make issues worse, the opposite aspect of the political aisle is utilizing the flub to govern their viewers.
“Democrats want to offer health care to undocumented migrants. Here’s what that means:” was a headline revealed by the outlet on September 11, 2019.
The piece, written by Tami Luhby, frames the political stance of the 2020 Democratic candidates — all ten of whom famously raised their fingers on the Democratic major debate when co-moderator Savannah Guthrie requested, “Raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants.”
President Donald Trump known as it “an end to that race.” Spoiler alert: he misplaced that 12 months.
The NCS piece additionally broke down how, in 2019, the undocumented — or “illegal alien” for many who want to make use of the precise authorized time period — may already entry well being care without spending a dime by way of state or federal funding (due to your tax {dollars}).
But if you happen to simply learn the headline, all you’re going to get out of it’s: Democrats need to give unlawful aliens free well being care. Not realizing they had been already getting free well being care in 2019.
Fast ahead six years. On September 30, 2025, the exact same NCS author, Tami Luhby, revealed a chunk titled, “Fact check: Trump falsely claims Democrats want to give free health care to ‘illegal aliens’ in government shutdown battle.” Now, if you happen to’re on the best — or excessive proper — you may screenshot these two headlines and have an argument. However, it’s an argument out of context (or, as I prefer to name it, noise for the political gabber).
The 2025 piece outlines what Democrats want to preserve funding: “federal subsidies to help Americans afford Obamacare policies and to reverse deep cuts to Medicaid and other health coverage contained in Trump’s sweeping domestic policy agenda package.” Luhby added, “But neither of those changes would provide health coverage to undocumented immigrants, since they aren’t eligible for either program.”
This final line is generally true, except for unlawful aliens who came visiting on a ship from Cuba or Haiti, who’re offered Medicaid underneath the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). It is, extra importantly, in Luhby’s report. She even ends the piece by saying, “But the ‘big, beautiful bill’ provision is not directly tied to coverage for undocumented immigrants.”
How does this all tie into NCS’s editorial voice screwing up two well-written and informative items in regards to the occasions occurring on the time every was written? The reply is twofold.
One, they’re attempting to distract readers by claiming one thing is fake when it’s solely half false. NCS beforehand outlined how unlawful aliens can obtain free well being care in the aforementioned 2019 report written by Luhby underneath President Trump’s first time period.
More importantly, it exhibits that context is vital. Sure, the best can argue Democrats need to give well being care to unlawful aliens as a result of that could be a truth.
Of the ten Democrats who took half in the 2019 Democratic major debate (Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, Marianne Williamson, John Hickenlooper, and Eric Swalwell), 4 nonetheless maintain workplace, and others have just lately echoed help for the sentiment.
But the problem in query isn’t Medicaid or Obamacare. It’s the funding going on to hospitals to help their “needs.” This is the funding situation neither aspect has touched upon, as a result of the best needs to comb underneath the rug the truth that Republicans have offered and advocated for funding of hospitals (which offer companies to unlawful aliens) for many years with out blinking a watch.
To quote Jesus, “He who is without sin may cast the first stone.”
Sure, federal funds to hospitals may give free well being care to illegals, and yeah, Republicans may very well be attempting to cease the money circulate by claiming their insurance policies are “America First.” But in actuality, either side of the media are performing like pink and blue ants in a tube that’s been shaken by an out of doors drive.
Editorial cajoling of headlines to appease your “fact-checking” or fact-searching viewers is killing good journalism. It may kill your model as a result of factual, catchy headlines from years previous will now be held in opposition to you in the court docket of public opinion.
Barrett Media produces day by day content material on the music, information, and sports activities media industries. To keep up to date, sign up for our newsletters and get the most recent data delivered straight to your inbox.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes options and columns for Barrett Media. She has expertise in virtually each side of the business together with: digital and print information; dwell, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and movie productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can discover Krystina on X (previously twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.