From an article today from Reuters, see how many blatantly and unambiguously false statements of fact you can spot in this single paragraph:
The president has few tools left to stoke growth. Fiscal stimulus efforts during the 2008-2009 recession, including a multibillion-dollar auto industry bailout, have vastly expanded the budget deficit. Now the United States is under market pressure to slash it or face higher funding costs.
As Brad Delong frequently says–albeit more politely: For the love of fucken godde, why can’t we have a better motherfucken press corps? When supposedly impartial news outlets like Reuters flat out fucken lie to the American people like this about issues of tremendous importance on a consistent basis, is it any surprise that our political economy is an abject fucken dumpster fire?
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Darron Spohn
August 11, 2011 at 11:02 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
As a recovering journalist I can tell you why we cannot have a better press corp: journalists are taught to produce publications, not to think. Very few journalists took a critical thinking course in college, and therefore (among other reasons) have no idea how think for themselves. They are also under deadline pressures, and the entire industry values getting published first above getting facts correct.
The Fourth Estate has dumbed down to the pint of uselessness.
Darron Spohn
August 11, 2011 at 11:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Oops. That should read “to the point of uselessness,” although having been a journalist I can attest that “pint” is also relevant.
SC (Salty Current), OM
August 11, 2011 at 11:10 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Chomsky. Herman. Sheesh.
unbound
August 12, 2011 at 9:02 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Reuters is part of the Thomsom Corporation. Just like any division of any corporation, their job is to generate profit. People (especially in the US) are far more motivated by the latest news snippet than accuracy. So, as a major division of a corporation, Reuters is simply going to provide what is desired.
Until the majority of people start objecting to lack of news quality, you can’t really expect a corporate entity to change their habits. Unless you change the very structure of corporations so that profit is not their primary concern…
Darron Spohn
August 12, 2011 at 9:12 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Unbound, that explains a lot. I worked at a small newspaper which Thomson bought. They immediately raided the retirement fund and distributed the company contributions as executives bonuses. Our circulation manager, who was six months from retirement, saw his benefits cut in half. All perfectly legal under U.S. laws.
Crissa
August 12, 2011 at 4:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I sent the error to Reuter’s help desk.
Historiann
August 13, 2011 at 8:08 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yes to all of the above, but let’s not forget the Power of Narrative, which right-wing pols and think tanks have mastered. There’s a very strong undertow these fake facts exert, even when the real facts are in front of reporters’ faces.
The three sentences in the excerpt above conform to three popular narratives right now, in order: The President is powerless. The stimulus didn’t work and just exploded the deficit. Deficits and not jobs are our real problem.
That last bit about “higher funding costs” is just too LOLsob, especially since everyone has been marveling about the low price of money both in terms of interest rates and yields on U.S. treasury bonds. But I guess the price is still too high to spend any of that cheap money on Americans who need jobs.
Historiann
August 13, 2011 at 8:09 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
btw, Do Not Like the cartoon of you above, CPP. I think you must be MUCH better looking IRL.
skeptifem
August 13, 2011 at 10:15 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thats capitalism for ya.
Capri
August 13, 2011 at 10:23 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
what capitalism?. this is painful, raining and doesn’t get any better. Back there i have intramuscular injections and heat. Here you have stupid, expensive muscle relaxants that do nothing; just ruining stomach.