Growth, Anemic Growth, or Bias?

This is the kind of thing I always see and when I argue that the press has a liberal bias to it, it’s very hard to deny… This is from a site that isn’t even a political one, but check out what she has to say…

I was listening to what I thought was NPR Radio and hadn’t noticed my husband had switched to the local classical music station. As I turned it up for the top of the hour news, I heard the news reporter announce that the US economy had grown by 6% from the last time period. Then I recognized the BBC English accent and quickly switched to National Public Radio for the news. There I was greeted with the proclamation that the US economy had grown by an anemic 6 percent.

Huh?

BBC reported the information as a fact. Depending upon your perspective, six percent is huge, and still a positive number rather than a negative one. Sure, it might not meet expectations, which can be said, but either way, it’s a fact that requires no editorial commentary. It’s a number. Let the readers do with it what they will.

I always think of National Public Radio as unbiased, but I’m learning that all news within the United States has an amazing bias, some more, some less, some hidden.

That’s not the point. The NPR reporter could have just reported the increase as a number and given the reasons why. The application of the adjective anemic creates an emotional quality on the number, thus sinking into the consciousness of listeners that the US is on a downhill slide.

Just a note to Lorelle; the only people who think NPR isn’t biased live in Berekeley California. It’s grossly biased to the left, which is not a problem if you know it going in.

That being said, what do you think of what she has to say here? I tend to agree. A six percent growth period is a growth period, and considering a lot of folks are running around bitching about a recession (which we’re not in despite the panic screams) 6% sounds downright remarkable, but what do I know? I don’t have a dog in this fight or an axe to grind.

PS: When a Democrat takes office in January, I promise you that 6% growth will be celebrated, the housing “crisis” will go away, the fact that manufacturing jobs will disappear will no longer be an issue, and puppies and kitties will live together in perfect harmony.

Don’t believe me? Find some homeless stories from the mid-90′s.

Or better yet; find stories about the unemployment rate which was almost two full points higher than it is now.

This entry was posted in Liberal Bias. Bookmark the permalink.
  • Patyrick

    Eh…I hate this argument. I could find just as many facts which would support that there is a conservative bias as you could to suggest that there is a liberal bias.

    I’m a huge NPR fan. This isn’t because I’m liberal (at least I don’t think so), it’s because they tend to provide fascinating stories, interviews, and biographies. While I would stop short of saying that NPR carries a ‘grossly liberal’ agenda, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s likely that 99.9999 percent of those who work for NPR are, themselves, liberal.

    I think that it would be difficult for NPR to approach their reporting with a blatantly liberal bias. This is especially true considering that it’s a government subsidized news outlet; the last eight years haven’t been so kind to NPR and PBS because of a national agenda which has been monopolized by conservatives who have tried to make this portion of the media as irrelevant as possible.

  • Patyrick

    Eh…I hate this argument. I could find just as many facts which would support that there is a conservative bias as you could to suggest that there is a liberal bias.

    I’m a huge NPR fan. This isn’t because I’m liberal (at least I don’t think so), it’s because they tend to provide fascinating stories, interviews, and biographies. While I would stop short of saying that NPR carries a ‘grossly liberal’ agenda, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s likely that 99.9999 percent of those who work for NPR are, themselves, liberal.

    I think that it would be difficult for NPR to approach their reporting with a blatantly liberal bias. This is especially true considering that it’s a government subsidized news outlet; the last eight years haven’t been so kind to NPR and PBS because of a national agenda which has been monopolized by conservatives who have tried to make this portion of the media as irrelevant as possible.

  • The Masked Rye

    The point isn’t that the bias is conservative or liberal, it’s that you can’t turn on the tv, radio or internet and just get “the news”. You get a slant, no matter what. I never used to care, but these days, everything is way too slanted, and everyone is ready to react to based on what they hear. Global warming, recession, housing crisis, you name it, it’s all fed by the media… whatever the trend.

    How about we get back to that old phrase “give it to me straight, doc.” As the article says, 6% growth is growth. Adding ‘anemic’ colors the information. I mean, compare it with other years, or maybe stats from other countries, but don’t just influence without explanation. That’s just fear mongering.

    On a side note, notice how mongering has become popular over the last 8 years?

  • The Masked Rye

    The point isn’t that the bias is conservative or liberal, it’s that you can’t turn on the tv, radio or internet and just get “the news”. You get a slant, no matter what. I never used to care, but these days, everything is way too slanted, and everyone is ready to react to based on what they hear. Global warming, recession, housing crisis, you name it, it’s all fed by the media… whatever the trend.

    How about we get back to that old phrase “give it to me straight, doc.” As the article says, 6% growth is growth. Adding ‘anemic’ colors the information. I mean, compare it with other years, or maybe stats from other countries, but don’t just influence without explanation. That’s just fear mongering.

    On a side note, notice how mongering has become popular over the last 8 years?

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com/ Vinny

    I think that it would be difficult for NPR to approach their reporting with a blatantly liberal bias.

    Okay, then, the ball’s in your court. Show me a story that doesn’t have a liberal bias to it that they reported on. I’ve never seen one. This story is so representative of the way they report things, that it barely raises an eyebrow anymore.

    PBS is just as bad. Bill Moyers is a liberal shill taking government funds to privately sell DVD’s of his show.

    Sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, PBS and NPR are both liberal cesspools. For all the constant banter about the bias on Fox News, NPR and PBS get a pass.

  • http://www.insignificantthoughts.com Vinny

    I think that it would be difficult for NPR to approach their reporting with a blatantly liberal bias.

    Okay, then, the ball’s in your court. Show me a story that doesn’t have a liberal bias to it that they reported on. I’ve never seen one. This story is so representative of the way they report things, that it barely raises an eyebrow anymore.

    PBS is just as bad. Bill Moyers is a liberal shill taking government funds to privately sell DVD’s of his show.

    Sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, PBS and NPR are both liberal cesspools. For all the constant banter about the bias on Fox News, NPR and PBS get a pass.

  • Patrick

    Vinny,

    You’re the one making the charge that NPR exudes a liberal bias -you provide me with some more examples. Sorry, but you haven’t provided enough evidence to irrevocably label them liberal…

    Rye,

    ‘you can’t turn on the tv, radio or internet and just get “the news”.’

    Sure you can. It’s called C-Span. Do you watch C-Span? The channel neglects a number of stories and it is incredibly dry, often boring. If you want, you can get the ‘dry’ facts, but there isn’t a market for that type of news deliverance. And, to be honest, I highly doubt that, in the history of television news coverage, there has ever existed objectivity. You tune in, in part, because you find the coverage to be entertaining, not simply informative.

    It might seem like I have contradicted myself in this post, but it’s necessary to note that while pure objectivity is damn-near impossible to achieve by adhering to the popular news format, it’s still possible to come as close as one can. It might seem like NPR presents a liberal bias to some, but the important question is ‘how blatant is this bias?’

  • Patrick

    Vinny,

    You’re the one making the charge that NPR exudes a liberal bias -you provide me with some more examples. Sorry, but you haven’t provided enough evidence to irrevocably label them liberal…

    Rye,

    ‘you can’t turn on the tv, radio or internet and just get “the news”.’

    Sure you can. It’s called C-Span. Do you watch C-Span? The channel neglects a number of stories and it is incredibly dry, often boring. If you want, you can get the ‘dry’ facts, but there isn’t a market for that type of news deliverance. And, to be honest, I highly doubt that, in the history of television news coverage, there has ever existed objectivity. You tune in, in part, because you find the coverage to be entertaining, not simply informative.

    It might seem like I have contradicted myself in this post, but it’s necessary to note that while pure objectivity is damn-near impossible to achieve by adhering to the popular news format, it’s still possible to come as close as one can. It might seem like NPR presents a liberal bias to some, but the important question is ‘how blatant is this bias?’