The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
A fair view of FairTax; the problem with calling for government aid; and why the Four Horsemen are over the top.

Oct. 19, 2005

     The president’s tax panel spawned numerous, sometimes almost incomprehensible, stories about recommended changes in tax laws. Fortunately, the Associated Press was able to cut through some of the mess. Meanwhile, “CBS Evening News” couldn’t pull itself out of its own post-Katrina, flood mindset. Reporter Kelly Cobiella showed her assumption that government aid is the right way to go. And finally, “peak oil” is an important issue that calls for intelligent discussion, not apocalyptic claims. Unfortunately, USA Today chose to go the “Mad Max” route.

The Good
     If you’re looking for a fair report on the FairTax, the Associated Press’s Mary Dalrymple showed how to do it. On October 19, Dalrymple delivered a solid story on a difficult issue and fleshed it out with representatives from groups unhappy with the potential recommendations from the president’s tax reform panel.

The Bad
     Apparently, the media’s reporting on the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina wasn’t enough. CBS reporter Kelly Cobiella’s reaction to flooding in the northeast United States was a personal call for federal aid for the area. That was just one of the flaws in an October 13 report that emphasized government solutions to a problem caused by…government.
 

The Ugly
     Thankfully, journalists have a protected right to write whatever they wish. Too bad they sometimes use it for the written equivalent of shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater. That was the case on October 17 when USA Today’s David Lynch gave readers a peek at “peak oil.” One of those interviewed predicted a best-case scenario of a “global recession worse than the 1930s” and a worst-case situation drawn directly from Revelation. If that isn’t scaremongering, then the term has no meaning.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tracks the best and worst media coverage of business and economics. Readers are invited to submit suggestions or news tips to Director Dan Gainor at dgainor@mediaresearch.org.