The Media Circus covering Kile Glover’s tragic accident while tubing on Lake Lanier on July 6th has been filled with distortions.

One website starts a rumor and a thousand others quote it as the truth, without attributing the “facts” to a verifiable source.

That’s not news reporting, it’s rumor mongering.

Today, July 16th, the rumor mill is abuzz about how the boy’s mother, Tameka Foster, might be “forced to pull the plug” on her son because she cannot afford the enormous cost of keeping him alive.

One unnamed “source” says insurance will run out in a month, one source says it will run out “in a matter of months,” and another says the insurance coverage is for “a finite amount of time.”

Does LakeLanier.com know how long the child’s insurance will last?  No.

Do we believe other sources know how long it will last?  No.

Take, for example, this quote from NewYorkDailyNews.com:

“At present, sources tell TMZ that though Foster’s insurance company hasn’t specified when they’ll stop covering Glover’s medical bills, the outlook is  bleak – they will likely shell out coverage for a few more months at most.  If Foster is unable to continue paying for Glover’s life support, then she will be forced to pull the plug.”

What They Are Saying

• Unidentified “sources” are quoted.  The source could be your crazy Uncle Bubba, for all we know.
• The insurance company has not specified the limits of the coverage.
• This “source” is guessing that coverage will last “a few more months at most.”
• If the parents cannot pay, they will be “forced to pull the plug.”

Are these facts?  Is this the truth?  Or is this blowing things out of proportion?

What We Know to Be True

• Kile Glover is being treated at Children’s Hospital in Atlanta
• Click Here for Children’s Hospital’s Policy Statement that children are never turned away because a family cannot pay for coverage.
• I called the hospital personally (404-785-4483).
• I was told that no child will be turned away or asked to leave the hospital solely due to the family’s ability to pay for healthcare.
• To suggest that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is forcing Usher’s former wife to consider pulling the plug on her son because of any possible lack of insurance coverage is bogus.

The Media Circus

I am a professional writer.  I am paid to conceive, research, write, edit and post stories on the Internet.  If I don’t post stories, I don’t get paid.

Some writers who are paid to write are willing to reprint, exaggerate or create any statement that might be believed to be factual in order to file a story.

If you think that “they couldn’t put it on the Internet if it weren’t true,” I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.  I’ll even name the bridge after you, for an additional cost.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read or Hear

When you read items, such as the quote from NYDailyNews.com, look for what it says … and look for what it doesn’t say.

Don’t let the Media Circus fool you into believing what they say might be “possible” is a fact.  Don’t be mislead by their distortions and innuendo.

Your guesses are as good as theirs.  Probably better.

Click Here for Info on Children’s Healthcare Foundation

Click Here for Media Circus Story on LakeLanier.com

Click Here for Details on Kile Glover’s Accident