The credibility of the mainstream media is at such a low level that it's no wonder newspapers are dying. Once viewed as legitimate and unbiased journalists, many news reporters have been outed as opinion writers and advocates for liberal causes and candidates. Like a scene from the movie Sunset Boulevard, they continue to pretend the audience is still watching. Sadly, many of those inside the newsroom are desperate to hang on to the old way of liberal groupthink. Other reporters are so worried they will lose their jobs with the shifting media landscape that they fail to challenge a dying industry. Today's news headlines on the newly released economic data provide proof of just how bad the mainstream media is willing to spin the facts for their candidate.
With the unemployment rate stuck above 8% since Barack Obama took office and Democrats getting very anxious at the approaching November elections, the liberals' media allies went into full spin today. Under Obama's policies, employers have added an average of 151,000 jobs per month -- about what it takes to keep up with population growth. Today, we learned that employers added 163,000 for the month. While it is an increase of 12,000 jobs above Obama's average, it is hardly worth a top headline given that the number of people who were unemployed climbed from 12,749,000 in June to 12,794,000 in July and 195,000 fewer people were counted as employed. Additionally, the increase of 45,000 Americans looking for work pushed the unemployment rate to 8.3%. The more accurate unemployment rate, the Labor Department's "U-6" figure, which includes the frustrated unemployed who stopped looking for a job or whose benefits have run out, rose to 15%. For the mainstream media to focus on the one area of good news when the number of unemployed Americans is rising seems desperate. But within the first few hours of the announcement, the media giants showed just how brazen they are willing to be. The top headlines from U.S. media outlets, when I looked, read:
Washington Post: "U.S. added 163k jobs in July; jobless rate rises"
Los Angeles Times: "Beyond the spin, a status quo job growth report"
New York Times: "Pace of Hiring Rose in July, but Jobless Rate Ticked Up"
USA Today: "Strong Job Report May Not Mark Turning Point"
Boston Globe: "US adds 163,000 jobs in July, most in 5 months"
The CNN headline was most indicative of how the media views bad economic news for President Obama's election. If you can't spin it, avoid it. Economic indicators are so bad that ignoring them is probably the best way they can help. After all, reporting on the data would require editors and reporters to make excuses, as the USA Today headline proves.
Consumers have realized they must have multiple news sources in order to get full and accurate information. And one of the best ways to do it is to read niche media outlets with expert reporters on specific subject matters.
I am not sure if CNN is more honest to just ignore the increased unemployment rate and avoid having to spin real news or less honest for overlooking a serious story altogether? Either way, Americans will not be able to count on the mainstream media to cover Barack Obama's presidential campaign in an unbiased way. It's 2008 all over again. As they say: burn me once, shame on you... burn me twice, shame on me.