CNN's Blitzer: 'Health Care Executives Making Billions at Your Expense'

September 22nd, 2009 6:51 PM
Wolf Blitzer, CNN Anchor | NewsBusters.org

On Tuesday’s Situation Room, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer used a left-wing talking point on the health care debate during a brief about a web ad made by comedian Will Ferrell and other celebrities: “One of the most famous comedians joins some of your favorite actors to promote health care reform. So why are they defending health care...executives making billions of dollars at your expense?” [audio clip available here]

Blitzer devoted three news briefs during the 5 pm Eastern hour of the CNN hour to the ad, all the while omitting how Ferrell and his group made it in conjunction with the leftist organization MoveOn.org. After playing a clip from the web ad during the first brief, which came 10 minutes into the hour, the CNN anchor highlighted how the celebrities were “using comedy to make some serious points about health care. This video [is] getting a lot of attention out there.”

Nine minutes later, Blitzer gave his second brief on the MoveOn ad, which included his liberal talking point: “A comedic spin on a serious issue- one of the most famous comedians joins some of your favorite actors to promote health care reform. So why are they defending health care- health care executives making billions of dollars at your expense?”

The anchor did note how Ferrell’s cast “hopes the video makes the case for a public health care option” during his third brief on the ad, but again left out any mention of MoveOn.org:

Still from Will Ferrell's MoveOn.org Ad, as shown on CNN's 09/22/2009 Situation Room | NewsBusters.orgBLITZER: A few well-known comedians put their talent together to sarcastically portray one of the challenges facing our nation right now. Will Ferrell is among the stars taking a shot at how insurance industry executives handle health care. Check it out.

WILL FERRELL: And insurance companies are detail-oriented enough to deny claims for things like typos. If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery? I don’t think so.

BLITZER: The group hopes the video makes the case for a public health care option.

It certainly seems from all of this that Blitzer is doing his best to help promote Ferrell and company’s left-wing cause.