You'd think gas prices are high enough as it is. But for some reason, the NBC "Today" show needed to make prices seem even worse by showing a picture of a gas station with above-average prices.
Co-host Ann Curry reported that "gasoline prices are up again. Today AAA said the average price for regular gas hit $3.80 a gallon."
But a viewer with the television on mute would have seen only video of a station with regular gas priced at $4.15 - 35 cents higher than the national average. Curry also added that, "in some cities it is much higher than [$3.80]."
Inflating gas costs either by misstating statistics or showing stations with higher-than-average prices is a common occurrence on the network news shows. It's part of a wider media trend of focusing on extreme examples that end up making the U.S. economy seem to be in worse shape than it actually is.
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Everyone's Doing it!
May 20, 2008 - 07:35 ET by MeanderingI was watching Charles Gibson on that evening ABC news program and they were talking about gas prices as well. They show gas at being $4.35 a gallon, but then they went into the averages aroudn the country and none of them were over $3.80. So why show gas at over $4 when its not there? To spread panic? Me thinks YES!
They do that every time. No
May 20, 2008 - 08:12 ET by motherbeltThey do that every time. No doubt the $4.35 is somewhere in California, where their special-blend requirement makes their gas the highest in the country. It's been covered before here on NB.
I read on here that they get
May 20, 2008 - 08:55 ET by MeanderingI read on here that they get some of their higher priced images from places in Europe where gas is that high. Just misleading as usual.
Here in NE Ohio, the
May 20, 2008 - 09:12 ET by QueenMumHere in NE Ohio, the highest price we've seen is $3.95. It's now down to $3.85 in our community.
I believe you've hit on an important point, Meandering. It's my personal opinion that the fact that gas prices have risen precipitously at the height of the campaign for Presidential candidates, is more than a coincidence. For most of the past 7 years, there's been no big media attention to gas prices. I want to know what George Soros has been up to lately. And I believe that OPEC is pulling for Obama.
(Someone please let me know if I now qualify for lifetime membership in the Tin Foil Hat Society.)
I am the exotic Queen Mum, and I approved this message.
I'm tempted to open a
May 20, 2008 - 07:44 ET by KillgraveI'm tempted to open a mom-and-pop gas station and charge $6 a gallon.
I wouldn't make money off of petrol, but I would charge all those bad-news vultures who swoop in $10 per picture.
Everybody wins.
Gas prices easy to lower
May 20, 2008 - 08:19 ET by jay_1975All we need to do is drill off of all of our coast lines, in ANWR, the west and build some damn refineries. Too bad all of our politicians are going to do nothing about it until a) Gas hits $10 a gallon or b) We come to peak oil production in all of the other drilling sites. With todays technology, what used to take many drilling rigs can be done with just one thanks to directional drilling. This makes it an easier sell to the public. It is time for some of our elected "leaders" to step up and have the fortitude to do what is right. Go public and let the people decide, not the Sierra Club.
what is the big deal??
May 20, 2008 - 09:16 ET by shawn228They were not dishonest, because they said what the average national price was. They are just showing how bad prices are in some parts of the country.
The bigger story imo is oil closed at close to 128 dollars yesterday. That might actually be concern for panic.