Death by Hospital Bill

Posted on Feb 27, 2013

Medical costs are at an all time high and Obamacare barely touches on the tip of the iceberg that is the U.S. health care problem; a mural by the infamous graffiti artist Banksy that had disappeared from a London shop under mysterious circumstances gets dramatically pulled from auction; meanwhile, an award-winning photograph by Paolo Pellegrin misrepresents its subject and setting, and plagiarizes its caption. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

The Killing Prices
What should be the first question of healthcare reform in the United States: why exactly are the bills so high?

Who Should Pay to Defend Larry Craig’s Bathroom Antics?
A federal judge this week will confront the surprisingly important fallout from former Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig’s 2007 bathroom arrest.

Banksy and the Billionaire
The controversial auction of “Slave Labour (Bunting Boy)” [ht: ja], a Banksy mural that disappeared from the wall of a north London shop in mysterious circumstances, was dramatically halted on Saturday just moments before it was due to go under the hammer.

Is the Post ‘pro-gay’?
Patrick B. Pexton gets a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls from readers who assert that The Post has a “pro-gay agenda” and publishes too many “puffy” stories about gay marriage, and that it even allows too many same-sex couples to appear in the Date Lab feature in Sunday’s WP Magazine.

When Reality Isn’t Dramatic Enough: Misrepresentation in a World Press and Picture of the Year Winning Photo
What happens when a World Press Photo and Picture of the Year International award-winning photograph doesn’t show what it purports to show?

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