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From: simard@loral.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Selective reporting - (nf)
Message-ID: <316@loral.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Jul-84 20:39:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: loral.316
Posted: Wed Jul 25 20:39:54 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 05:21:33 EDT
References: <216@loral.UUCP>, <10100060@ea.UUCP>, <61@whuxl.UUCP>
Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego, CA
Lines: 44

[Do not write in this space]

Actually you are quite correct; the balance of position in the print
medium is relatively reasonable.  I get the Wall Street Journal
and the San Diego Union, both quite conservative publications.

I was (and forgot to mention) primarily aiming at the broadcast,
and especially television, media.  The picture is quite different here.
I have a study here which is an analysis of economic reporting
during the Reagan years, showing implied associations, disproportionate
coverage of items, and other biases.  This agrees with my observations.
CBS seems to be the major culprit, though not the only one.  Some of
my own observations:

Fall '81: nightly for about a week,
CBS interviews persons bemoaning high interest rates,
claiming all kinds of hardship.  A month later, when rates took a
sharp drop; Dan Rather:  "Interest rates fell today, another sign
of a weakening economy"   What would you like, Dan?

During the beginnings of the '81 recession, night after night, stories
taped at steel and auto plants, the worst hit by the recession.  Almost
no coverage of expansion in non-"smokestack" sectors, even though they
are increasing employment.

Summer '83:  When unemployment took a tremendous drop (10.5 percent to
9.5 percent)  CBS, instead of reporting the event (people going BACK
to work) reported the non-event (two pockets of the country where the
increase in employment was not being felt).  If they want to show
tear-jerking interviews with persons out of work at the beginning
of a downturn (which is correct and appropriate enough), why not
the equivalent; happy statements by persons back at work when it
turns up again?  Seems the CBS folks don't want John Q. to realize
how good things are until forced to.

I could list others, but I am getting tired in the fingers.

Good Luck!

-- 
Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
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