MedPage Today is a Blog/News aggregator for physicians and others working in health care. One of their staff writers has an article today on a map in a press release from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services currently headed by Trump appointee Seema Verma. The map purported to be the expected number of insurers participating in the Obamacare exchange next year. He simply asked for the data used to generate the map indicating 47 counties in Missouri, Washington, and Ohio will have no providers next year and also the number of counties with only one provider available. After repeated requests he could not get the information used to generate the map and was told the non-response could not be used as a direct quote. He then says
At worst, it raises questions about CMS intentions: is the aim to inform the public or to promote the political agenda of the White House, which has been relentless in its criticism of the Affordable Care Act. Journalists, including MedPage Today's Joyce Frieden, have noted the increasingly political tone of communications from CMS.
Few news outlets would be comfortable running a map that they couldn't change to match their own styles, and any reporter's spidey sense should tingle when the government declines to release raw data.
At worst, it preys upon the seediest instincts of our industry, those that lead us to chase page views without caring to make sources justify their claims.
A number of outlets ran the map as is, apparently uninterested in confirming details about what exactly it shows.
When does politically motivated PR become blatant propaganda? Above is an example.