When a president speaks, the news media has an obligation to report what he says. But when what he says is untrue, or is based on false assumptions, journalism has an equal obligation to report facts and valid assumptions.
These are not "alternative facts," but true facts. And that is not a redundancy.
In announcing a pullout from the Paris accord on climate change, the president cited a study that cited the loss of millions of American jobs. But that study, by a partisan group, assumed that the U.S. would do everything recommended by the agreement, and that every other nation would do nothing.
Picking and choosing data to support an argument or position already decided on, and ignoring every other piece of information that does not support that position enables you to "prove" nearly anything.
As for the danger of the American economy in imminent danger of collapse, consider this: Employment rose by 138,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate faded to 4.3 percent, the lowest since 2001, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Perhaps the president should listen to his own government agencies and their official reports before rattling on about coming disasters and loudly crying wolf.
Separately, the Commerce Department reported a o.3 percent drop in American exports, to $191 billion in April, and a rise in imports of 0.8 percent, to $238.6 billion, making for a 5.2 percent increase in the international trade deficit, to $47.6 billion.
But this is called free competition, a doctrine strongly endorsed by conservatives. Perhaps they mean free competition is a good thing only if they win.
No comments:
Post a Comment