Election Year Economic Doom and Gloom
Study
"Americans believe the state of the
economy is the most important issue in the presidential campaign,"
announced Peter Jennings in opening ABC's World News Tonight on
September 21. Reporter Ken Prewitt then reviewed the state of the
economy, concluding: "When you look at the overall economy, the
average American voter is doing fine....and that makes economic issues a
difficult pitch for the Democrats." But that didn't prevent
numerous other network reporters from emphasizing economic themes
matching the Democratic campaign pitch. A MediaWatch
study has determined that despite the continuing economic boom, the
networks have depicted an overwhelmingly unhealthy economy.
Of 60 feature length stories analyzed
from ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, CNN
PrimeNews, and NBC Nightly News, from when the primaries
ended in early June through October 15, 40 stories, (67 percent),
stressed weaknesses in the economy. Only 11, (18 percent), focused on
economic strengths, while another nine stories were mixed or neutral in
their assessment of the economy. Moreover, the networks have aired more
than three times as many negative reports that reinforce Dukakis
campaign themes as reports echoing Bush campaign themes.
Stories considered mixed included an
August 5 Evening News look at the growing number of temporary
workers. Reporter Terry Drinkwater gave both sides: "Companies say
the temporaries give them flexibility; some workers agree...But for many
other temporaries, the insecurities are so severe, they use their free
time to look for a permanent job." CNN's Chris Abel gave a mixed
picture of the economic impact of dropping oil prices, concluding:
"There are ten states hit hardest by the oil slide... But while the
economies in oil-producing states worsen, experts say the oil price drop
will mean good news for consumers."
Forty percent of the negative pieces
emphasized themes pushed by Dukakis, such as the supposed growth of low
pay jobs at the expense of higher paying ones, increasing income
inequality, and the inability of the middle class to afford a home. For
instance, ABC's Kathleen deLaski vigorously attacked the Reagan legacy
on August 31. She announced the census report showing an increase in
family income to $31,000 per year, but quickly added, "most of the
additional income went to those who were already well off." After
interviewing Bob Greenstein of the liberal (though not identified as
such) Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, deLaski highlighted the
15.5 percent poverty figure, concluding "the report gives Michael
Dukakis some evidence that the poor and middle class are losing
ground."
Three days later deLaski was at it again,
featuring a group of economic "losers": this time, "urban
migrants," workers who have only been able to find jobs far away
from home. "So they are being forced to the great outdoors, because
their paychecks cannot put a roof over their heads." Her examples
included a man who claimed he could not afford housing for his family on
an $11 per hour construction income. DeLaski explored only liberal
solutions: "public or subsidized housing." Back on June 7 ABC
aired back to back stories on how "the dream of owning a home is
fading in the 1980's" as values increase far faster than incomes, a
theme repeated two months later by CBS.
A trade deficit study from the Economic
Policy Institute (EPI) on October 15 prompted CNN's Patricia Ochs to
warn: "One of Ronald Reagan's thorniest economic problems has cost
millions of jobs in manufacturing and related industries." With a
clear political angle that echoed Dukakis's promise of "good jobs
at good wages," Ochs continued: "The jobs lost are good ones;
about half pay more than $400 a week." Ochs didn't mention that
Labor Department figures show more than two thirds of the jobs created
since 1982 pay $20,000 per year or more. Ochs wrapped up with a leading
conclusion: "The study is expected to fuel arguments by...Michael
Dukakis and other Democrats, that the trade deficit is a growing burden
on the U.S. economy, and Americans are already paying."
Viewers could have put the story in
better perspective if Ochs mentioned a key fact about EPI: It is headed
by Jeffrey Faux, listed by Business Month as an advisor to the
Dukakis campaign.
Even when the news was unabashedly good,
CBS and CNN managed to add a sour note. On October 7 Dan Rather quickly
reported the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percent to 5.4 percent, but
then turned to Ray Brady who spent a minute and a half bemoaning the
relative decreasing productivity of the American worker. The next day
CNN's Dan Blackburn lamented: "Many of the jobs are in the clerical
field, or they may involve the hiring of laborers on a daily
basis..." Blackburn worried about the future assessment: "For
most American workers....the unemployment figures offer at least some
assurance. But many economists warn that the 1990s could bring
trouble."
Other negative stories did not overtly
reflect major Dukakis themes, though a few quoted him. An increase in
the discount rate, said Ray Brady, "is the kind of move that is
seldom made during an election year, and today Michael Dukakis blamed it
on the economic policy followed by the administration." CNN's Lou
Waters chimed in: "The move is meant to curb consumer spending and
it could pose political problems for Vice President Bush if voters blame
Republicans for tighter credit."
NBC, however, was the gloomiest network,
with all six of its feature length economic reports accentuating the
negative. Reporter Irving R. Levine felt the modest 0.2 percent increase
in unemployment for August was misleading, compelling him to inform
viewers what he termed the "reality" of the situation. If the
Labor Department counted discouraged workers and those who "work
part time because they can't find a full-time job," as out of work,
"the unemployment rate would not be 5.6 percent," but much
more.
A more realistic picture occasionally
slipped through. On October 7 ABC's Ken Prewitt offered viewers a rare
positive analysis of the employment situation. Prewitt explained that
one in six people counted as unemployed are briefly unemployed between
permanent jobs; half find jobs in less than six weeks. Five of the
eleven positive stories analyzed reinforced themes like this, topics
Bush highlighted: the record percentage of people employed, low
inflation and rising family income. On October 5, Brady had offered this
encouraging assessment: "Labor experts say, if you're just starting
out....this is the best time to be looking for work in 20 years."
A CBS News/New York Times poll
showed voters, by a margin of 51 to 38 percent, preferred Bush over
Dukakis as the man to help the economy most and a September Gallup poll
showed 54 percent of Americans believe they personally will be better
off a year from now. But with the media distorting and misrepresenting
the national picture, small wonder that only 24 percent believe the
country as a whole will be better off.
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