Views on bias in the Front Range newspaper of record.
Listing to Port
The Economy
On p. B10 we have “Outlook darkens after disappointing jobs report”, sourced from the Associated Press. This is a follow up to the stories the Gazette printed two days ago and is certainly more informative (see Gazette Watch, June 2). Several economists have now downgraded future prospects for our economy (Credibility check: weren’t these the same people who were optimistic before the data came out?). The story mentions that GDP must grow at an annual rate of about 2.5% to create enough jobs just to keep up with new people entering the labor force; several economist predict numbers below this threshold.
The story mentions several additional negative economic indicators but is a bit light on details. The National Association of Realtors sales agreement index fell to 95.5 in April, down from 101.1 the previous month; 100 is considered to indicate a healthy market. New orders for manufactured goods have dropped three of the past four months; 2.1% in March and 0.6% in April. The numbers for April durable goods orders for April were initially reported as an increase and this was revised downwards, now reflecting a decrease. Here is a detailed summary.
In citing reasons for the economic slowdown, the report focuses almost exclusively on international economic problems, especially Europe. There is no mention of the possible negative impact of uncertainty (e.g., taxmageddon), increasing regulatory burden, or rapidly expanding government debt.
Tech Gender Gap
On p. B10, there is the story “Suit spotlight gender gap in tech industry”, sourced from the Associated Press. The story makes mention of a lawsuit brought by Ellen Pao against venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield, and Byers. Some might be interested that this firm is associated with former Vice President Al Gore (D-TN) and he may actually be implicated in the suit. The story also mentions that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg “is the most prominent female executive in Silicon Valley.” Really. Has anyone mentioned this to former eBay chief executive and current Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman? Or how about IBM CEO Virginia Rometty?
New York City Soda Ban
The short piece on p. A7, “Poll: More against sugary drinks ban”, reports the results of a Marist/NY1 poll on Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sale of sugary drinks in sizes over 16 ounces. This is an excellent example of a reporter spinning the interpretation of the poll results. The story notes “about half” oppose the ban and “more than half” never order a large sugary drink. What were the actual numbers behind these statements? Well, “about half” is 53% and “more than half” is 52%. New math or leftstream bias, you decide. Another interesting number from the poll, not reported in the story, is that 51% of those who want to lose weight oppose the ban. Keep in mind that statistics are just numbers, so the “Lies, damn lies, and statistics” invective should be directed at those who interpret them.
Uncharted Waters
Don Siegelman
In yesterday’s Gazette Watch, I noted the story about former Alabama governor Don Siegelman (“Guess the Party”). The Gazette apparently didn’t find it newsworthy that the Supreme Court has refused to hear his appeal of his bribery conviction.
Navigating the riptides of leftstream media bias.