Once again: however much you hate the mainstream media, it’s not enough. As recently pointed out in The Good Oil, the media have steadily abandoned reporting in favour of naked advocacy and traded narrative peddling for truth telling. They try and control the public discourse with gatekeeping and manipulate perceptions with slanted reporting, and selective experts and ‘anonymous sources’ (who too often sound suspiciously like the MSM just making stuff up).
Take just one example: the US economy. Before the 2024 election, the media pushed a barrage of dodgy ‘analysis’, claiming that the US economy was going gangbusters, no matter what the stupid plebs might say. Using highly selective data, they claimed to ‘prove’ that the economy was just fine. Don’t believe your lyin’ eyes at the gas pump or the supermarket checkout.
That so many Americans think that things are worse than they are is driving Democrats crazy. They know that the economy is the top issue for most voters, and that Biden is given extremely low marks for it. They are frantic to set the record straight; so far, their messaging has come up short.
Why are people so mixed up about the economy?
Because they can read their bills? Because they can see their income not keeping pace with inflation? Footling stuff like that?
First, because so many are struggling to pay their bills, which they probably associate with a recession. Second, because real incomes are stagnant. People’s living standards have deteriorated, which doesn’t lead them to view things with rose-colored glasses.
Oh, just ignore that, wittered the MSM. With a straight face, CNN told Americans that, if you just take out energy, fuel and groceries, why, inflation is going down! Yes, said the Black Knight, if you just ignore that you’ve cut off my arms and legs, I’m clearly winning.
Third, and maybe most importantly, Joe Biden and his surrogates have lied so frequently to Americans about the state of the economy (and the country) that people are no longer paying much attention to spin from the White House. Being told repeatedly that everything is great, when you can’t make ends meet, is deeply unsettling. It’s also insulting – the corollary implication is that you just don’t understand your own situation.
They said, immediately after telling Americans that they’re too stupid to understand the economic data that proved how great the Biden economy was doing. These people are shameless.
They still are.
If you’re still gullible enough to pay attention to the MSM, you know doubt believe that Donald Trump has sent the US economy crashing. His tariff policies are an economic disaster! The proof is everywhere, the New York Times thunders.
Well, except in the data.
No, I’m not making it up. They actually said that.
Evidence for the economic impact of President Trump’s trade wars is everywhere – except, for the most part, in economic data itself. Consumer spending hasn’t fallen. Layoffs haven’t risen. Businesses haven’t stopped investing in equipment or buying supplies.
And they wonder why no one believes them any more.
In the real world, the data that actually matters to people are all trending positively.
The annual inflation rate eased to 2.3 per cent in April, the lowest since February 2021 […]
Inside that number, there was more good news. Gasoline prices decreased for the third straight month. At home food fell by 0.4 per cent, or twice the rate of inflation. Eggs were down 17.7 per cent since March, while pork and beef ran at or slightly behind inflation. Overall, grocery prices had their largest decline in nearly five years. (Funny how so many economic failures begin with Joe Biden's inauguration, isn’t it?)
Used cars declined in price while the prices of new models remained constant.
Yes, well, but… apart from all that…
