It’s rare anymore that you read a story where you feel the writer respects both your opinion and their craft enough to allow you your own interpretation. Rarer still when it’s an article published by the New York Times. Most journalists are eager to make names for themselves and in absence of a big story opportunity and due diligence on a piece, they supplant their opinions and suffocate with bias the very thing about which they write.
Perhaps more articles from Zev Chafets are due.
It isn’t exactly a secret that some Medicaid money winds up in unqualified hands, but it was surprising to see how willingly minor officials turned a blind eye and, in some cases, even offered advice on how to game the system. No money was distributed, but there will be repercussions. The first video was out for only hours before an Ohio state spokesman called it “extremely troubling.” Soon after, it was announced that the Medicaid worker who coached them on how to hide their ownership of an $800,000 automobile had been placed on paid administrative leave. Officials in at least two states immediately began their own investigations.
Had the videos revealed a larger injustice, O’Keefe’s stated goal? Had they demonstrated waste and abuse in Great Society initiatives run amok, or were they simply exposing the failures of some well-meaning, low-level bureaucrats in a basically worthy government program? It depends on your perspective. As for James O’Keefe, he is already looking for the next target.
Kudos to Mr. Chafets for an objective vignette of James O’Keefe. I couldn’t tell Mr. Chafets’s opinion on the matter while reading his piece as he allowed the subject to breathe, exactly as it should be. Make your approval known by leaving a comment.