June 28, 2012

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via USA Today :

The race to be first with the news of the Supreme Court's ruling on the health care law tripped up CNN and Fox News, which erroneously reported that the heart of President Obama's law was struck down.

The justices upheld the requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance coverage -- the piece of the law known as the individual mandate -- but said the provision is constitutional as a tax.

CNN said on all of its platforms, including on Twitter, that the mandate was struck down. Fox News said the law was "unconstitutional."

"Supreme Ct. Kills Individual Mandate," flashed on the screen from CNN. The network's reporter, John King, told anchor Wolf Blitzer that the justices "gutted" the law and that it was "a direct blow to President Obama."

CNN had to send out this after its mistake:

Correction: The Supreme Court backs all parts of President Obama's signature health care law, including the individual mandate that requires all to have health insurance.

Jim Romenesko writes on his media blog that the Associated Press sent out a memo to reporters to quit pointing out CNN's mistake on social media networks.

"Please, immediately, stop taunting on social networks about CNN and others' SCOTUS ruling mistake and the AP getting it right," wrote David Scott, a regional editor at AP. "That's not the impression we want to reflect as an organization. Let our reporting take the lead."

One internet wag put the screw-up this way:

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