Pale Rider
02-23-2007, 12:25 AM
Liberal Lies: Tales from Mainstream Media
By Paul Strand
CBN News
February 15, 2007
CBNNews.com - One of the biggest successes of the Bush administration has been a thriving, rapidly-growing economy.
But most Americans don't get a chance to know that if they get their news from the major media.
It wouldn't be overstating it to say America's enjoyed a boom economy during most of the Bush presidency.
In fact, a report this week from China's leading news agency points out the U.S. economy has expanded for five straight years now.
But that's not something Americans are likely to hear or read in their own major media.
Or the fact that 7.4 million jobs have been created during the Bush years and unemployment is at just 4.6 percent.about as low as it's likely ever to get.
Or that the stock market has hit record highs day after day in the last few months.
Instead, Americans are more likely to hear we're headed for disaster.
Dan Gainor, director of the Business and Media Institute, keeps an eye on how the major media report on the economy.
Gainor said, "The American media have been telling them for years that we have an economy that's on the edge of collapse."
"Last year they were telling us almost every week, on average, about either recession or depression on the three major networks," he added. "A couple of the reports even brought out clips from the Great Depression."
Gainor believes this constant barrage of negative reporting during the pre-election months last year helped drive Bush's approval ratings for how he handled the economy down into the 20s.
And Gainor says there's evidence that this negative reporting has a political motive.
For instance, the numbers for the Clinton economy in 1996 and the Bush economy in 2004 were almost the same, if not a bit more positive for the Bush economy.
Gainor said, "Similiar numbers across the board. But then when you look at the network coverage: CBS raving about the Clinton economy.saying how great it is.Dan Rather was opening the evening news for Bush saying, 'Where are the jobs?' That's not even vaguely similar."
A study by Gainor's institute showed that 85 percent of the reporting on the Clinton economy was positive, while 77 percent of the stories on the Bush economy were negative.
But not all the coverage is negative.
Some good news does get headlines - such as new record highs in the stock market.
But even in the midst of good times, most Americans still give the president low marks for his handling of the economy-- something that critics blame on the media's reporting.
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/104527.aspx
By Paul Strand
CBN News
February 15, 2007
CBNNews.com - One of the biggest successes of the Bush administration has been a thriving, rapidly-growing economy.
But most Americans don't get a chance to know that if they get their news from the major media.
It wouldn't be overstating it to say America's enjoyed a boom economy during most of the Bush presidency.
In fact, a report this week from China's leading news agency points out the U.S. economy has expanded for five straight years now.
But that's not something Americans are likely to hear or read in their own major media.
Or the fact that 7.4 million jobs have been created during the Bush years and unemployment is at just 4.6 percent.about as low as it's likely ever to get.
Or that the stock market has hit record highs day after day in the last few months.
Instead, Americans are more likely to hear we're headed for disaster.
Dan Gainor, director of the Business and Media Institute, keeps an eye on how the major media report on the economy.
Gainor said, "The American media have been telling them for years that we have an economy that's on the edge of collapse."
"Last year they were telling us almost every week, on average, about either recession or depression on the three major networks," he added. "A couple of the reports even brought out clips from the Great Depression."
Gainor believes this constant barrage of negative reporting during the pre-election months last year helped drive Bush's approval ratings for how he handled the economy down into the 20s.
And Gainor says there's evidence that this negative reporting has a political motive.
For instance, the numbers for the Clinton economy in 1996 and the Bush economy in 2004 were almost the same, if not a bit more positive for the Bush economy.
Gainor said, "Similiar numbers across the board. But then when you look at the network coverage: CBS raving about the Clinton economy.saying how great it is.Dan Rather was opening the evening news for Bush saying, 'Where are the jobs?' That's not even vaguely similar."
A study by Gainor's institute showed that 85 percent of the reporting on the Clinton economy was positive, while 77 percent of the stories on the Bush economy were negative.
But not all the coverage is negative.
Some good news does get headlines - such as new record highs in the stock market.
But even in the midst of good times, most Americans still give the president low marks for his handling of the economy-- something that critics blame on the media's reporting.
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/104527.aspx