Are the media fueling a health care debate...

...that doesn't really exist?

A provocative question, and one that at least one national columnist thinks can be answered with a "yes."

As an outsider looking in, the national screaming and yelling sessions that have been passed off as "commentary" by the media has been disgusting to watch. And in some ways you can see these sessions as another (terrible) example of the propensity for media to highlight the most controversial elements at the expense of sober, rational storytelling.

Mind you, I am not suggesting that people opposed to health care reform do not deserve a voice in the debate. Rather, I am saying they easily fit into a media stereotype. And if you think I'm wrong, then keep your eye on Pittsburgh later this month and watch the number of stories about protesters. I guarantee you they will be on the news incessantly, and they will project an image of a G-20 summit that is besieged by unruly people polluting the streets.

The truth can be found there, but the truth also needs to be found elsewhere. And at least in this discussion about health care, the media have not been as complete in their storytelling as they could have been.