AP Headline, As Past Two Weeks' Initial Unemployment Claims Soar: 'Aid Applications Decline Slightly'
UPDATE: The headline at AP's 9:37 a.m. report now reads "US unemployment claims signal slower hiring." That's nice, but it won't what was broadcast immediately after the report's release until news outlets become aware of the revision.
The games the Associated Press's Chris Rugaber and the wire service's headline writers are playing with the weekly unemployment claims from the Department of Labor are getting tiresome, and grow seemingly more disgraceful with each passing week. Today, DOL told us that initial unemployment claims were 386,000. Last week's 380,000 was revised upward to 388,000. Both figures are significantly higher than the number in the low 360s seen in the four prior weeks. The sadly predictable headline at Rugaber's AP story (saved here at host for future reference, fair use and discussion purposes) follows the jump.
Here it is:

And of course, Chris Rugaber (who to his credit, at least recognized the upward revision to last week's figure), wrote the following:
Applications have started to level off in recent weeks after months of steady declines.
Really Chris? That's not what I'm seeing:

Here's more from Rugaber:
Lower benefit applications indicate that companies are cutting fewer jobs. And economists note that unemployment benefit applications are at a much lower level than they were last year, which is a hopeful sign that March's weak numbers were a temporary lull.
Today's not seasonally adjusted claims (367,550) were less than 4% below the same week a year ago (381,834). Neither week was affected by the timing of the Easter holiday. I don't think a 3.7% drop qualifies as "much lower."
It is really sad that Rugaber's risible work is what's going to be broadcast over much if not most of the radio and TV airwaves for the next couple of hours. The Old Soviet Union's Tass, Pravda, and Isvestia would have been proud of him. The AP should be ashamed. That the self-described "Essential Global News Network" probably isn't explains why yours truly refers to it as the Administration's Press. With great power comes great responsibility, guys -- and you're not exercising it.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
The DoL numbers are
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:08am.
just a joke now. They mean nothing.
There is no way you can convince me they're not political. $20 says we see two more weeks of rising UE claims before a .1% drop in the UE rate for April. Nothing will stop this government from falsifying this president's record.
Doggone it.
Can someone explain to me...
Submitted by BBallleaper on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:17am.
how an openly communist 'news' organization can operate throughout American media with NO one exposing them (except Newsbusters!!)? They openly support the PLO, are vehemently anti-Jewish, are butt-lackeys for the Obummer regime, and yet seem to have been openly accepted as a 'fair' media outlet????? The current Yahoo news lead from the AP touts Amanpour's in-depth look at who hacked the muzzie internet sites last week. Huh???????????? If it wasn't for Newsbusters my head ( which is extremely handsome!!) would EXPLODE!
➚ At the extreme . . .
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:17am.
At the extreme, if there are only two workers left in America, and one loses his job, the new jobless claims is only 1.
Update:
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:21am.
In related news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
Also, Derek Kravitz reports: "US previously occupied home sales fell 2.6 percent, signaling housing market still weak."
It's a Dog Day Afternoon.
"months"
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:34am.
Apparently, months are days long in his warped world.
Tom....didn't we have "claims" down in the 350's in the last few months? I seem to recall thinking "riiiiight, wait until next week until they revise those".
As a finance major in college....we used to say "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics!".
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
There was a comprehensive revision ...
Submitted by Tom Blumer on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 11:38am.
... to seasonal adjustment factors which affected the numbers going back to 2007 which occurred about 4 weeks ago. It pushed the numbers which had been in the 350s into the 360s.
It was probably a valid effort, because I don't think seasonal fluctuations, which the exception of Christmastime, are as great as they used to be, and DOL's adjustments generally brought all of the numbers a bit closer to the full-year mean.
Of course, it also meant that the most recent numbers were pushed up by 3-4%, which the press by and large didn't report.
Thanks, Tom
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 1:44pm.
I didn't think I was losing my mind (I generally have a brain like a steel trap when it comes to numbers....particularly numbers to which I am paying more than a bit of attention).
While I find the weekly/monthly adjustments to be annoying (because the "bad" ones are ignored, whilst the "good" adjustments are trumpeted by the media), what I really object to is the elimination of those who are no longer actively seeking work in the statistic.
I've always believed in RAW DATA. I don't want to know what anyone else says it says, I want to grab it, work it, and come up with my own conclusions.
As I said in my prior post.....lies, damn lies, and statistics (which we used to call sadistics).
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Heard my favorite expression again today.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 10:37am.
Every time new unemployment data is released, it's the same old tune:
"Experts were surprised today by the unemployment numbers! They HAD been expecting yada, yada, yada, but the actual figures were much lower/higher, yada, yada, yada."
Who the hell ever declared these morons "experts," about ANYTHING? To the best of my knowledge, they are NEVER right!
I, on the other hand, being just another old dumbassed bubba, am NEVER surprised by what communism/socialism/Fascism will do to an economy.
Always back revised
Submitted by Ruler4You on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 2:19pm.
These numbers are always back revised and usually revised UP, not down.