1. What is the goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? What is its main focus? (see “Background” for answer)

2. What is the goal of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)?

3. The media has reported on the NIH Director’s claim that an Ebola vaccine would likely have been found by now if not for budget cuts.
In the MRC report below, Mr. Rossell writes, “A bigger issue has been the media’s unwillingness to point to wasteful spending at both NIH and CDC.”

Consider the following examples. Do you think the media not reporting on this questionable spending is an example of bias by omission and story selection? Explain your answer.