Study faults news media's economic coverage

The media needs to do a better job than relying on government data only. In the old days, the newspaper reporters did some research of their own. Today the talking heads on TV are more about sensationalism than facts. The media needs to collect factual information from various parts of the US. A survey is a better option. The business community has a much better handle on these matters. Their input is more accurate than old government data.

This article is being too kind to the press! I earn a salary slightly higher than the median income and I and all my co workers have known the state of the economy was fast deteriorating for two years (and more). The increase in the price of medical insurance, gasoline, food, travel and almost all necessities has been increasing by 20 to 45 percent on average , with some items increasing by 200 percent or more yet the media has relied only on inflated government statistics. The economy is not the stock market as our media "experts" think. I'm sure all the increases have affected them as well yet they seem to close their collective eyes and minds to reality. It's time we get some real reporters instead of talking heads to let the public know the reality of our economic future.

If it's true that the poor get poorer and the rich richer, the media makes it so. The media would have you believe that when we enter an economic downturn, the sky is falling. The rich, on average have a better understanding of economic matters. What they know is that an economic downturn is when wealth is created. Downturns are the best time to invest -- in stocks, in real estate, etc. The media inspires people to sell, generally at a loss, at the very time when they should be buying. Conversely, when the economy is overheated, the media talks about how great things are, but by then it's usually too late; by then 'the poor' are buying at the height of the market. Guess who sells at the height of the market? -- the rich.

The American news media is manipulated by big business and the Bush administration's clasp on free speech and individual personal freedom. The media does a very poor job of reporting actual news and all commentary and analysis is strongly biased toward protecting the Bush Administration and promoting corporate interests rather than the best interest of the public (or let us say the middle class and below).

It is not just the bad/late data that the media is using. It's the sensationalism, the negativism that they use to sell. The media is not upbeat; that would not sell. The media is not factual; that doesn't excite. Spin it the way it sells - by scaring the public.

Well, could it be because media ppl a) are arithmetically-challenged, b) are star-struck by the current political circus, c) are lazy, incompetent sob's who just report on what's easy to spell, d) are convinced they alone know whats really important, or e) all of the above?

I'll just go with (e).

I agree that the "media" seems to be lax in their digging for useful information and relying on being spoon-fed by the govrnment.

An example is unemployment rates. Just because the number goes down does not mean all those people went to work. A good number of them either dropped out of the program or used up benefits. I remember when I came home from the Army in 1971. I was unemployed but could not get benefits nor be counted as unemployed. I also remember the "recession" under Reagan. The central Illinois town I lived in had a 25% unemployment rate according to government records, but the number was actually higher because of the number of people who fell off the roll after they used up their benefits. As a journalist, I found many of them at free clinics, Salvation Army, and food lines or standing in an almost mile long line to apply as a bagger at a grocery store.

Get off your duffs and do a little Putlizer-like reporting.

ALL government agencies that are suppose to provide oversite and keep things fair and legal are TOTALLY on the side of the rich and powerful.

I stopped listening to the media about the economy long ago. I know where it is becuase I know how much or how little my dollar will buy and I can see how my investments are going. I get tired of the media's pessimissim. Times are tough, we get that, but please be accurate in your coverage and make sure that you have no other agenda that to report the facts and how they effect us.

I don't even listen to what the media says about the economy. Only a handful of states have been hit with the big foreclosure mess, but to hear them talk about it, each and every person in the US is on the brink of poverty. That's just not true. Gas has gone up, but considering that it was around $1.30 per gallon TWENTY years ago, it's really not overly inflated. Groceries are up 5-10% on average. John 426625 is completely right! I've continued to put 6% of my salary into my 401K and a lot of people have stopped. Yes, I might lose here and there, but in the end I will have better gains! Every economic downturn has an upturn even greater... you just have to wait it out. The media seems to want for everyone to think that the economy is going way down. Where I live, it is pretty great (for all income levels).

The government, ie, big corporations, are simply getting exactly what they want from the news outlets: Fear and uncertainty on the part of the American public. The last thing that the govenment wants is a confident, free-thinking electorate that would be more difficult to sell things to (ie, manipulate.) As George Carlin said: "They call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep, to believe it."

Simply put the 3 major media outlets are owned by the same larger companies. The media now is not only always behind the curve they are following the same stories about where homes are in foreclosure instead of how theres a glut with the banking system that is artificially keeping the numbers of registered foreclosures lower.

There isnt any hard hitting stories like you used to see where they are talking about how many CEO's are being investigated or fired on Securities fraud or the socialization of US Banking by the Fed.

This media does no research and depending on old Gov data is pathetic.

All that had to happen is for a reporter to be terminated after reporting on certain subjects and all the rest of the reporters got the message loud and clear.

The news is on its way to being just corporate advertising. "Buy buy buy! The war is free and it is your duty to save America by spending all the money you have now! Quick, hurry up, you're ruining America with your saving and not spending!"

We cannot trust the politicians to tell the truth, we should not count on Corporations to tell the truth, thus we HAVE TO HAVE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM TO DIG FOR THE TRUTH.

The kinds of stories I want to see is exposure of the Washington game; the vacations for Senators, who passes bills that hurt American Citizens, who goes to work for the corporations the benefited from the laws they wrote and who is trying to gut our consumer protections? I want to know who works hard for the people and who works hard for graft no matter what State they are from. These are the people at the heart of America's worst problems and there are not that many of them. I want to see tons of info on all Senators.

The media is a poor choice for any type of real news. Ideally you'd have enough intelligence to wade through some of the data yourself and consider some of the factors like source, time, date, and context.

The media is extremely negative and always wants to have the "breaking" story so hype is ripe in the news media. Rarely watch news anymore and read several different newspapers around the country attempting to gain some empirical perspective.

If you rely on the media to gain a macro perspective on current events - ignorance is bliss, enjoy!

The media has become too influential given the average reader. I'm just an average guy, making an average middle class living in an average city and everywhere I turn there's a different slant on the news. I would prefer the media go back to some very basic principles-write or tell about the facts, if any, otherwise only report the incident in a neutral fashion. We have a problem in the US of, what I like to call, being dumbed down. the average guy hasn't got the resources or time to discover if a slant is actually true and therefore everyone errs along party lines rather than personal decision or belief. The facts are really not facts anymore but rather opinions of what someone thinks the facts are. When the media approach a story where a slant is being played, the average dumbed down person can easily be persuaded. The end result is we end up doing a lot of things that we don't even realize we don't agree with.
let's get back to just reporting the incidents but leave out those who want to slant so the average dumb downer can have enough time to decide for his or herself.

Gungamellon "The government, ie, big corporations, are simply getting exactly what they want from the news outlets: Fear and uncertainty on the part of the American public."

That made no sense to me. Neither the government nor big corporations wants fear and uncertainty from the American public. Fear and uncertainty lead to a depressed market. The people that want fear and uncertainty are certain interest groups and political parties/politicians trying to scare people into thinking their way. If people are fearful of the economy, they are more likely to be upset with the government and more likely to sell stocks/bonds, instead of buy them. The government wants you to be happy (in that they do not want their policies questioned, they want them to work) and big corporations definitely do not want people selling their stocks.

Economics is a boring topic, certainly more boring than Britney. People are experts in their own lives and in their own finances, but beyond that have only cursory interest in in-delpth conversations regarding economics. Nor is the media likely to interest them in the topic in depth, which is the fault of the public. People generally will want to see "getting worse," or "getting better" kinds of headlines, which in turn will shape their decisions at a glance. That in turn is why you have a majority of coverage lacking any significant depth. It just doesn't sell.

Daily and weekly coverage with REAL costs of what illegal aliens and their anchor babies are costing American taxpayers. FREQUENT stories about the drug cartels of Mexico and the war zone on our southern border - what has Mexico done with the $400 MILLION of MY tax dollars the Bush admin. gave them? A SECURE fence and more border patrols would have been a better way to spend MY money!! More reporting on Mexico and just what the corrupt officials there are doing with their money - WHY are they not creating jobs in MEXICO instead of pushing their illegals here to send money out of US economy and INTO Mexico?

Frequent coverage on which local, state and federal agencies AND private employers who have implemented the E-Verify program to stop the hiring of illegal aliens, raise wages and working conditions of American CITIZENS and LEGAL immigrants. Just what is the cost in lost wages to average American worker because of cheap illegal labor? What is the cost to each taxpayer in emergency free medical care for the illegals and their anchor babies? What is the cost to each taxpayer to teach English to these non English speaking children when it should NOT be our tax burden. What is the cost to every American taxpayer to print everything in languages other than English. Why are we the CITIZENS of America paying for TRANSLATORS for people who cannot speak English in our courts? Why are THEY not required to hire an interpreter or better yet -- KNOW the language or LEAVE.

Less of the tear jerking stories of illegals leaving their poor little children behind when they are caught, jailed and/or deported. Or IF those stories MUST be told - then at LEAST reference American CITIZENS who break the law and their poor little children are left behind when THEY go to jail. For crying out loud - a little balance here in the media. How about reporting when an illegal is arrested for a crime that they are ILLEGAL ALIEN? Americans NEED to know these issues just as we need to know how much of OUR tax money is being used on illegals.

I would like to see and hear MUCH more investigative coverage of government waste and abuse of our tax dollars from the local level all the way to the top. This is the ONLY way we will ever get those in control of our hard earned dollars to spend wisely and just as importantly, STOP the fraudulent spending and waste in so MANY areas, i.e. medicare and social security. And print the NAMES of those in charge and responsible. Where is the ss trust fund? What has it been used for? Why is the inference always on the people who will be needing it rahter than on the federal government who has not taken care of the money? Just how much money has been paid out via fraud, waste - nobody minding the store. Get some TRUTH out there. Back some of these people to a wall and make the American public aware.

I would like much more watchdog reporting on our federal and state agencies that take our tax dollars to SUPPOSEDLY safeguard our food supply, toys, drugs, products, etc. They are SO quick to TAKE our money but it would seem nobody is EVER minding the store in the agencies. They are long on excuses and so short on competence and results. Give us names of those drawing paychecks and doing nothing.

More reporting on ghetto areas - numbers showing where the "missing parents" are. Are they in jail? Why? Were there any jobs available they could have done rather than break the law? Are black churches preaching anger as we saw the Rev. Wright do - feeding their babies on anger and resentment or are they preaching hope and family values and work ethics? Perhaps a good documentary on black churches - their members and what they are teaching their little boys from toddler age would shed some light on all the crime with young black men. Why are our tax dollars teaching English to children of illegal aliens when we should be teaching family values, work skills and work ethics to young black boys who apparently are missing this instruction somewhere.

Failing schools - get somebody in there and dig out the dollars spent and what these dollars are spent on. Check out the administrators, teachers, school boards, etc. Find out how they are wasting their taxpayers money because they are not teaching their children. Report on these schools - tell us if they are mostly white, black, Hispanic, etc. Then tell us what the parents of these students are doing while their children's schools are failing. Get some detailed dollars and cents, performance and responsibility reports out to the public. These are the kinds of things if the media would jump on would create a helluva a controversy at being exposed but people would pay attention to SPECIFIC schools, districts, ect. rather than so much "generalized" mumbo jumbo. Uncover all the good, bad and the ugly - let the public KNOW. Then and only then will we begin to hold people accountable for our money and more importantly the future of our nation's children. Keep these kinds of series ongoing - when these schools never know when they may be a target of an in depth investigation and having their incompetency and waste blared over the media -- only then will we start to see some changes. Expose the free rides at taxpayer and children's expense.

When a company is laying off employees or shutting down, etc. do some in depth reporting and find out how much of the work is going off shore and why. Find out the working conditions of the places our jobs have been outsourced to. Put the cards on the table. Let the American people see where and why their jobs evaporated - and for heavens sake - stop blaming health insurance for it all as has been done with the auto industries. Break it down into real numbers so Americans can see just how much companies are paying overseas for a product -- AND the conditions those people work under and their pay level. Then along with that, report our elected officials names who approved the move off shore.

More in depth investigating and reporting of just how much American soil, buildings and infrastructure is now owned by foreigners who do not live here. Americans NEED to know how much of our nation is no longer ours. Make it public who sold it, for how much, which elected officials made it possible, are these foreigners friends or foes of the US and freedom, etc.

Get some truth out about insurance companies. When we hear so much about health costs - let's hear the profits of insurers and pharmaceuticals along with the oil companies. Nobody bothers with these. Expose the drug companies who give perks to doctors to peddle their products. Expose the doctors who do it. Put some NUMBERS out on individual hospitals and clinics as to how much free care they are giving illegals and people who COULD have insurance but choose not to at everybody else's expense. Do some REAl reportingon Walmart and other companies who pay so little people cannot afford insurance, etc. I could go on and on but give us some REAL news stories that all Americans can relate to.

I would like to see and hear MUCH more investigative coverage of government waste and abuse of our tax dollars from the local level all the way to the top. This is the ONLY way we will ever get those in control of our hard earned dollars to spend wisely and just as importantly, STOP the fraudulent spending and waste in so MANY areas, i.e. medicare and social security. And print the NAMES of those in charge and responsible. Where is the ss trust fund? What has it been used for? Why is the inference always on the people who will be needing it rahter than on the federal government who has not taken care of the money? Just how much money has been paid out via fraud, waste - nobody minding the store. Get some TRUTH out there. Back some of these people to a wall and make the American public aware.

I would like much more watchdog reporting on our federal and state agencies that take our tax dollars to SUPPOSEDLY safeguard our food supply, toys, drugs, products, etc. They are SO quick to TAKE our money but it would seem nobody is EVER minding the store in the agencies. They are long on excuses and so short on competence and results. Give us names of those drawing paychecks and doing nothing.

More reporting on ghetto areas - numbers showing where the "missing parents" are. Are they in jail? Why? Were there any jobs available they could have done rather than break the law? Are black churches preaching anger as we saw the Rev. Wright do - feeding their babies on anger and resentment or are they preaching hope and family values and work ethics? Perhaps a good documentary on black churches - their members and what they are teaching their little boys from toddler age would shed some light on all the crime with young black men. Why are our tax dollars teaching English to children of illegal aliens when we should be teaching family values, work skills and work ethics to young black boys who apparently are missing this instruction somewhere.

Failing schools - get somebody in there and dig out the dollars spent and what these dollars are spent on. Check out the administrators, teachers, school boards, etc. Find out how they are wasting their taxpayers money because they are not teaching their children. Report on these schools - tell us if they are mostly white, black, Hispanic, etc. Then tell us what the parents of these students are doing while their children's schools are failing. Get some detailed dollars and cents, performance and responsibility reports out to the public. These are the kinds of things if the media would jump on would create a helluva a controversy at being exposed but people would pay attention to SPECIFIC schools, districts, ect. rather than so much "generalized" mumbo jumbo. Uncover all the good, bad and the ugly - let the public KNOW. Then and only then will we begin to hold people accountable for our money and more importantly the future of our nation's children. Keep these kinds of series ongoing - when these schools never know when they may be a target of an in depth investigation and having their incompetency and waste blared over the media -- only then will we start to see some changes. Expose the free rides at taxpayer and children's expense.

When a company is laying off employees or shutting down, etc. do some in depth reporting and find out how much of the work is going off shore and why. Find out the working conditions of the places our jobs have been outsourced to. Put the cards on the table. Let the American people see where and why their jobs evaporated - and for heavens sake - stop blaming health insurance for it all as has been done with the auto industries. Break it down into real numbers so Americans can see just how much companies are paying overseas for a product -- AND the conditions those people work under and their pay level. Then along with that, report our elected officials names who approved the move off shore.

More in depth investigating and reporting of just how much American soil, buildings and infrastructure is now owned by foreigners who do not live here. Americans NEED to know how much of our nation is no longer ours. Make it public who sold it, for how much, which elected officials made it possible, are these foreigners friends or foes of the US and freedom, etc.

Get some truth out about insurance companies. When we hear so much about health costs - let's hear the profits of insurers and pharmaceuticals along with the oil companies. Nobody bothers with these. Expose the drug companies who give perks to doctors to peddle their products. Expose the doctors who do it. Put some NUMBERS out on individual hospitals and clinics as to how much free care they are giving illegals and people who COULD have insurance but choose not to at everybody else's expense. Do some REAl reporting on Walmart and other companies who pay so little people cannot afford insurance, etc. How much does that cost each taxpayer to subsidize Walmart employees? FACTUAL reporting and exposure of the medical facilities and insurance providers who are abusing the government programs out of their greed to take all they can. Turn over the rocks and expose the slime.

Daily and weekly coverage with REAL costs of what illegal aliens and their anchor babies are costing American taxpayers. FREQUENT stories about the drug cartels of Mexico and the war zone on our southern border - what has Mexico done with the $400 MILLION of MY tax dollars the Bush admin. gave them? A SECURE fence and more border patrols would have been a better way to spend MY money!! More reporting on Mexico and just what the corrupt officials there are doing with their money - WHY are they not creating jobs in MEXICO instead of pushing their illegals here to send money out of US economy and INTO Mexico?

Frequent coverage on which local, state and federal agencies AND private employers who have implemented the E-Verify program to stop the hiring of illegal aliens, raise wages and working conditions of American CITIZENS and LEGAL immigrants. Just what is the cost in lost wages to average American worker because of cheap illegal labor? What is the cost to each taxpayer in emergency free medical care for the illegals and their anchor babies? What is the cost to each taxpayer to teach English to these non English speaking children when it should NOT be our tax burden. What is the cost to every American taxpayer to print everything in languages other than English. Why are we the CITIZENS of America paying for TRANSLATORS for people who cannot speak English in our courts? Why are THEY not required to hire an interpreter or better yet -- KNOW the language or LEAVE.

Less of the tear jerking stories of illegals leaving their poor little children behind when they are caught, jailed and/or deported. Or IF those stories MUST be told - then at LEAST reference American CITIZENS who break the law and their poor little children are left behind when THEY go to jail. For crying out loud - a little balance here in the media. How about reporting when an illegal is arrested for a crime that they are ILLEGAL ALIEN? Americans NEED to know these issues just as we need to know how much of OUR tax money is being used on illegals.

Unfortunately real economic news is not entertaining, and the watching/reading/listening audience demands excitement in their news, not necessarily information that would improve their understanding of the economy. This type of journalism exists outside of the U.S., such as in Germany or the U.K., but not here. It is clear to anyone that has surpassed Econ 101, that most of those reporting on the economy don't understand the dynamics of job creation, trade and investment, and they don't need to. There job is to amplify dry government data, or anectdotal information, into something exciting and "important". The average media consumer has absolutely no idea what is happening in the national or international economies right now, and that is not likely to change anytime soon.

If the economy were a political party with a ultra-conservative nominee for President, we'd get all the negative information we'd ever need. And if it were an ultra-liberal nominee, we'd feel the LOVE, baby! What I'm saying is that the media don't put their mojo on the news we could use. They're all about sensationalism and spellcheckers (if we're lucky).