Lazy reporting, propaganda or liberal denial?

It's really tough to decide these days, isn't it?

Under the byline of someone named Sara K. Smith, NBCPhiladelphia is running a lead sstory on their news page with proof positive that the conservative outrage at townhall's across the country is "manufactured." In fact, that's the title of the piece: "Manufactured Meltdowns at a Townhall Near You."

Nobody can ever confirm what nefarious deeds their opposition might be up to until somebody comes forward with inside knowledge of the formation of front groups. And now we finally have a winner!

A former health insurance executive says the disruptions taking place at lawmakers' town halls around the country are the result of stealth efforts by health insurance companies.

Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA vice president, detailed what he said were past covert efforts by the industry.

[...] Potter said during his 20 years in the insurance business, the industry would funnel money to large public firms who would create front groups and find friendly voices in conservative media.

Of course, Potter also said that he'd been out of the industry for about a year and did not "have specifics for what is occurring now." So it's entirely possible that this go-round, for the first time ever, all of people's laments about "the slippery slope to socialism" and "rationing" are motivated entirely by sincere, spontaneous beliefs that just happened to spring simultaneously into their brains, all across America, in front of TV cameras everywhere.

And then there's the other explanation, which seems slightly more plausible.

I'm all for a blogger expressing her opinion, but this is clearly opinion labeled as "news"--Ms. Smith is "reporting" proof positive that one retired insurance executive, who admits that 'he'd been out of the industry for about a year and did not "have specifics for what is occurring now,'" is proof positive that the sentiments expressed at Townhalls are not genuine.

So basically if you are upset about this massive power grab of govermment, if you do not buy the line that Obama and the Dems are selling but trying to ram down your throat, if you are even a little bit concerned about the extremely radical agenda that is being pushed through congress piloted by the most liberal president we have ever had, then expressing this anger and frustration really anmounts to nothing more than being a shill for the insurance companies. You are all liars, or so says Sara K Smith and Wendell Potter.

Is this lazy reporting, state sponsored propaganda or is it something else? Is it denial now that they see that their fellow Americans are not quite as enamored with their liberal dreams of a socialist utopia that they thought? Is it a manifestation of the pain that comes from a miscalculation of your adversary's strength, resolve and knowledge?

One thing it is not is straight reporting. And it certainly should not be classified under "News" on NBCPhiladelphia's website.

With each passing day it gets uglier. And the MSM, for one, two or all of the reasons above, makes it worse.