Various newsrooms repeated late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's emotional Monday monologue about the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) without fact checking his claims.
Kimmel started off his Monday show with a monologue featuring his baby son, Billy, and argued for Congress to pass funding for CHIP, calling Republicans' prioritization of tax reform over CHIP "disgusting."
"I don't know about you, I've had enough of this," he said. "I don't know what could be more disgusting than putting a tax cut that mostly goes to rich people ahead of the lives of children."
The late-night host did not mention the House passed legislation to fund CHIP for five years last month despite opposition from Democrats, who opposed how the legislation was paid for. The bill, which passed 242-174, then headed to the Senate where little action has since been taken.
The Associated Press, CNN, Vanity Fair, CBS, and the Washington Post all wrote articles summarizing Kimmel's monologue, but none mentioned Democrat's opposition to the House bill.
"Late-night host Kimmel holds son, pleads for health care," the Associated Press reports.
"Jimmy Kimmel brings out his son to talk about health care," CNN reports.
"Jimmy Kimmel Tackles Health Care with a Special Co-Host: His Son, Billy," Vanity Fair reports.
"Emotional Jimmy Kimmel: "Disgusting" that Congress puts rich ahead of kids' health," CBS reports.
"Jimmy Kimmel holds his baby son, post-heart surgery, in emotional health-care monologue," the Washington Post reports.
ABC News, the news arm of Kimmel's home network, also highlighted the host's comments.
Jimmy Kimmel brings infant son on stage in emotional return, attacks Congress over not funding CHIP. 'I don’t know what could be more disgusting than putting a tax cut that mostly goes to the rich ahead of the lives of children" https://t.co/wacaMMOtBP pic.twitter.com/7D4Ei7tygM
— ABC News (@ABC) December 12, 2017
Fox News contributor Stephen Miller pointed out on Twitter how news outlets will repeat the late-night host's talking points without fact-checking.
https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/940612144399306752
Kimmel has been an influential voice in the health care debate since he first mentioned the health complications of his newborn son. Since then, he has advocated for universal health care and promoted Obamacare, often criticizing conservatives and Republicans in the process. It was revealed in September that Kimmel had some help from Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) in fleshing out his health care arguments.