Deficit Headline Writing, a Quick MSM How-to
March 12th, 2007 4:26 PM
Here are the facts: The federal deficit is "down sharply"... WASHINGTON - The deficit for the first five months of the budget year is down sharply from a year ago as the growth in government tax collections continues to outpace growth in spending....and "down sharply" means more than 25 percent over last year. The Treasury Department reported that the deficit from October through February…
4th Quarter 2006 Home-Price Report: The Sky Is Not Falling
March 12th, 2007 9:48 AM
The Office For Housing Enterprise Oversight released its Fourth Quarter 2006 House Price Index (HPI) report (PDF) on March 1.
Given the recent gloomy reporting about the industry, you may not know that housing prices nationwide actually went up a bit more in the fourth quarter (1.12%) than they did in the third (1.07%). Though there are certainly problematic metro areas, it would appear that the…
If the Business Reporters at AP Know What's 'Real,' They Don't Show It
March 9th, 2007 7:09 PM
The 2006 Real (after Inflation) Increase in Household Net Worth Was Greater Than 2005's -- But You Wouldn't Know That from Reading the Associated Press's Accounts. And this is not the first time AP has ignored what's "real."
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Here is how the Federal Reserve's report on household net worth was covered by AP reporter Jeannine Aversa (bold is mine):
Net Worth of U.S…
Horror Story-time: Networks Bash Credit Cards
March 8th, 2007 5:32 PM
NBC had some "horror stories" to share with its audience on March 7, according to "Nightly News" anchor Campbell Brown. Brown introduced the report by Lisa Myers that told the story of Wesley Wannemacher, a man who's $3,200 credit card debt ballooned to $10,700 after interest and penalties.Wannemacher's plight also featured prominently in similar segments on ABC "World News with Charles Gibson"…
L.A. Times Reporters Hit Dems From Left On Taxes
March 6th, 2007 12:19 PM
"Ugh, now the Democrats like tax cuts too!"That's essentially the tone of a March 5 Los Angeles Times article* that took Democrats to task for their plans for what President Clinton was fond of calling "targeted tax cuts." Apparently they just "cost" the government too much of our money:WASHINGTON // After years of claiming that Republicans were cluttering
the tax code with provisions that…
WashPost: Willing to Hike Taxes = 'Maturing' In Office
March 5th, 2007 11:50 AM
"As many political observers see it, [Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William] Howell is maturing into the leadership role he took on four years ago," wrote The Washington Post's Tim Craig in today's paper. And what exactly is developing the Republican speaker into an upstanding young chap? Nothing more than a newfound willingness to raise taxes in the Old Dominion.Here's the first two…
