New York Times Exaggerates Restaurant Closings

Chalk another story up to the media exaggerating a problem that's bad enough on its own.

On July 30, The New York Times reported on the front page of its business section that "several national restaurant chains were shuttered on Tuesday." But only two chains were closed, and both were owned by the same company.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "several" as "being of a number more than two or three but not many." Nevertheless, the Times used the term instead of the more accurate "two," subtly exaggerating the image of restaurant closure.

Two chains - Bennigan's and Steak & Ale - owned by the Metromedia Restaurant Group were closed across the country July 29 after the company filed for bankruptcy. The Times blamed the economy for the shutdowns.

 "Soaring food costs and a surfeit of locations have hurt the companies' bottom lines just as Americans are choosing to take more meals at home," reporter Michael Grynbaum wrote. He said Americans are tightening their household budgets to cope with record high gas prices.

Certainly many workers will be out of jobs, and building owners will have to find new tenants for vacated space. But Grynbaum's subtle exaggeration made the problem seem worse than it really is.

He also predicted it was "an early taste of what's in store this year for businesses that depend on free-spending consumers whose budgets are now being squeezed."

Although Grynbaum said "several" restaurant chains closed, his article only named Bennigan's and Steak & Ale. Media exaggeration of economic problems is nothing new.

The media have recently exaggerated minimum wage statistics, foreclosure statistics and the financial turmoil faced by subjects in its profile pieces. The broadcast networks also routinely exaggerate gas prices.