Thursday, September 30, 2004

Economy grew faster than expected; A.P. headline parrots Kerry negativism

In the wake of an upwards revision in GDP growth, reinforcing the economy's incredibly strong growth over the past year-plus, a recent A.P. article reported a slew of good news for the ecomony:
  • The economy grew faster in the spring than previously thought.
  • The Commerce Department raised the second-quarter GDP growth rate to 3.3% from its earlier 2.8% estimate.
  • The boost came from "expanded business inventories and investments, an increase in exports and a drop in imports. "
  • Stocks went up on the news: The Dow was up almost 59 points and the Nasdaq 24 points.
  • A Wells Fargo economist said, "The economy is doing better than many anticipated... and the better news is that economic growth will accelerate" to a third-quarter growth rate approaching 4%.
Kerry's campaign, as the article reported, had a different take:
"Though George Bush keeps telling American families that things are getting better, the reality is a much different story," Kerry spokeswoman Allison Dobson said.
In light of this, what did A.P. choose to use as its headline?
Economy Grows at Weakest Rate in Over Year
Who says there's bias in the media?