I have turned reading the never ending stream of lying, spun reports on the economy into a spectator sport.
Most of the major media outlets like AP, Reuters, etc are lying, spinning and propagandizing constantly to try to misrepresent the state of the economy. You know what I mean.
You can sniff out a biased, lying, propaganda laced report quickly when you see one or more of the following happening:
1) Language to the effect of economic data coming in "better than expected".....
2) Comparing horrible numbers from one month with a little less horrible numbers the next
Month and making it sound tremendously positive, when in reality both numbers blow.
3) Talk about "the recovery" in the past tense, when there is obviously no sign anywhere of a recovery in the economy, except when you use fuzzy math government numbers
4) Using meaningless and anecdotal evidence of things getting better for a small individual or company and extrapolating the say it is representative of the whole economy. (green shoots).
5) Cherry picking data to make things look better than they really are.
6) Deliberately confusing cause with effect, for example, saying that higher gas prices are due a stronger global economy, rather than from Federal Reserve policies and QE2.
7) Using adjectives and verbs like "surging", "strong" "improving", etc, when there no evidence of any such occurrences.
8) Calling a small increase in something a large increase.
9) Falsely proclaiming that an improving trend is place, using data that is either false or of too short a duration to have any meaning or predictive value. A favorite is the “three out of four” trick. If you hear them talking about new unemployment claims falling in “three out of the last four weeks”, and then claiming this is the start of a new trend, you are being duped.
10) Ignoring news or data that sounds bad, while overemphasizing any news or data that looks even a little good or encouraging.
11) Talk about how a problem is “stabilizing”, when in reality it is getting worse.
The lies in the media today are everywhere, there is no denying it. Especially, you see it in biased financial reporting that appears to usually be pro-Obama. Apparently, lots and lots of media companies are trying to talk up the economy to help Obama's reelection campaign in 2012.
I ask myself WHY do the major media outlets want to lie to us. What is in it for them? The only answer I can come up with is that they are in bed with politicians, want to impress them and be on their side, and so they are, in effect, working for politians to spread the lies.
It is similar in concept to the pathetic, spun, oftentimes untruthful negative campaign adds. These articles are just a positive campaign add, being rolled out 18 months before the election.....
