Red Flag: Most X Say Y

We all know the old joke about how to tell when a politician is telling a lie. His lips are moving. It’s a red flag, and we should be cautious.

Likewise, when the media uses the phrase, “most say” it’s a big red flag. Untruth ahead! Oh, it may be factually accurate that most X say Y, where X is a tiny sample of any group perceived to have authority on the topic and Y is what the media wants you to think. But let’s face it – the only reason the media is falling back on such a disingenuous trick is because they don’t have the facts on their side.

A prime example – “Most Economists Say Recession Has Arrived”

BeldarBlog does an excellent job of deconstructing the patent deceit of the Associated Press. Stashiu has more of the same.

The article is self-fisking, with plenty of contradictory information included for the careful reader to note.

The seventh paragraph, as Beldar mentions, comes right out and admits that the premise of the article is a lie – the current situation does not meet the definition of a recession.

Although the classic definition of recession is two consecutive quarters of declines in the gross domestic product, Mr. Stanley pointed out that the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nonpartisan organization that is the official arbiter of when recessions begin and end, doesn’t necessarily follow that definition. “If you go back to the 2001 recession, there was only one negative GDP quarter, and there might not even be one negative quarter in this recession,” he said.

Well, then. I guess the 2001 “recession” was a load of media-generated crap too.

Added: Does this mean I think all is sweetness and light, and that the economy is perfect?  Uh, NO.  It means that I believe words have meaning, and that people who manipulate those definitions should be called to account for it.  I agree with Beldar – call it a downturn.  Be as pessimistic as you like, everyone is, after all, entitled to their opinion.  But not to their own facts.