After featuring a new poll showing Americans perception of the
economy depends on ones political views, CNNs January 28 In the
Money followed with liberal author and think tank analyst Tamara
Draut criticizing the state of the economy with no attempt at
identifying her left-wing bent.
Draut was plugging her new book, Strapped, which
blamed society for the phenomenon of debt-ridden 20- and
30-somethings living at home with parents. The book Web site pointed
the finger at a generation of leaders more interested in serving
wealthy interests than in investing in the nation's future.
Certainly Draut didnt blame young people and rationalized their
spending on iPods and other tech items because electronics are
really cheap.
At the top of the program CNNs Jack Cafferty had
interviewed Andrew Kohut of the liberal
Pew Research Center on his groups latest survey showing a partisan divide in how
Americans perceive the economy.
Cafferty was hardly shocked at the findings. As widely
divided as this country is on almost every other issue is it really
any great surprise that Democrats and Republicans have a totally
different view of the economy as well, Cafferty asked Kohut.
Later in the program, co-host Jennifer Westoven omitted
any mention of Demoss ideological leanings in her introduction of
Draut, referring to the organization only as a national think
tank.
An overview of her groups Web site gave away its
leftward tilt and Draut did her part urging more government
involvement in child care and added financial aid. She also claimed,
falsely, that We've disinvested in higher education. According to
John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union and aBusiness & Media Institute advisor, thats incorrect. In fact, from 2001
through 2005, spending at the Department of Education will have
grown at almost twice the rate of military spending, he wrote on
May 10, 2005.
On January 30,
Demos and the liberal Center for American Progress are co-hosting a forum
on Americas growing economic divide while the following day New
York Times columnist Paul Krugman joins among others Miles Rapoport
of Demos and Laura Flanders of Air America in New York City for a
forum on the same topic.
The Business & Media Institute has
previously documented how the media
downplay or ignore the ideological leanings of liberal think tanks featured in news
stories.
CNN Plugs Study Showing Partisan Divide Causes Confusion about Economy
January 30th, 2006 2:00 PM
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