Health-care debut gets bad early reviews
WASHINGTON – The debut of the government’s health insurance marketplaces drew a huge audience – and underwhelming reviews.
Just 7 percent of Americans say the rollout of the health exchanges has gone extremely well or very well, according to an AP-GfK poll.
The reaction was somewhat better among supporters of the new healt-care law, but still middling: 19 percent said the rollout went extremely well or very well.
Among the uninsured – a key audience for the health exchanges – 42 percent said they didn’t know enough to judge how well the rollout had gone, suggesting an ongoing lack of awareness about the program in its early days.
Report faults Obama over leaks policies
WASHINGTON – A report finds the U.S. government’s aggressive prosecution of leaks and efforts to control information are having a chilling effect on journalists and government whistle-blowers.
The Committee to Protect Journalists released its first examination of U.S. press freedoms Thursday, focusing on changes under the Obama administration.
Leonard Downie Jr., a former executive editor of The Washington Post, wrote the 30-page analysis. Downie interviewed reporters and editors who described a chilling effect in which “government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press.”
Those suspected of discussing classified information are subject to investigation and lie-detector tests.
Associated Press
