Mark Levin Hoax Caller's "Death Panel" Lie Sets Off Right-Wing Echo Chamber

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201201100013

January 10, 2012 2:07 pm ET by Justin Berrier

Back in November, a man referring to himself as "Jeff" called right-wing radio host Mark Levin's show claiming to have information about President Obama's health care law. Jeff claimed to be a "brain surgeon" who had just "returned from Washington, D.C.," where he and other neurological doctors had reviewed a document allegedly issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding "Obama's new health care plan for advanced neurosurgical care."

Jeff went on to claim that the document "did not call [patients older than 70] patients, they called them units" and stated that "if you're over 70 and you'd come into an emergency room and you're on government-supported health care that you get comfort care" instead of medically necessary neurological surgery. Jeff further claimed the document mandated "ethics committee[s]," to which Levin replied: "So, Sarah Palin was right. We're going to have these death panels, aren't we?" Jeff responded, "Oh, absolutely," and made a comparison to Nazi Germany.

The interaction was picked up by the usual right-wing media outlets, hungry for new fodder to keep their long-debunked "death panel" myth alive. On November 29, Fox Nation posted audio of thecall on Levin's show under the headline, "Neurosurgeon Dishes on Obamacare 'Death Panels', Administration Calls Patients 'Units.' " From Fox Nation:

[Richardo]

1. Kinda left us hanging there....

[Enrique]

2. God bless Media Matters

ever hear these radio guys talk about Media Matters? The hatred is palpable.

Think about it, without Media Matters, how would a hoax like this ever be exposed? It wouldn't, all these guys lied nonstop day in and day out and were never called on it.