"CBO sees federal deficit shrinking from predicted size"
Underneath the title is the lead, in small font:
Deficit - The Congressional Budget Office projected that this election year's federal deficit would be a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year. The projection became instant fodder for both political parties. News 13
So I turned to page 13, where I saw the headline in even bigger type:
"Congressional analysts lower deficit forecast"
And then below it, the subheader: "However, the latest federal projection - a $422 billion shortfall - is still the biggest dollar amount in history."
It seems obvious to me that the most significant and newsworthy fact is that this deficit is $422 billion dollars, and that is a record deficit. After that, one can add that however, the new projections are lower than before. Certainly Alan Fram thought so. Fram is the Associated Press writer of this article. The headlines, however, were produced courtesy of The Orange County Register, probably the most conservative daily paper of its size in California, and certainly one of the most conservative in the nation. A reader can see that slant in the editorial pages, and come to expect that bias.
What once surprised and now just offends me, is the way the bias bleeds into the news and even the copy (headlines, graphs, placement of stories). It's fine to reflect one's opinion in the opinion section, but it seems unethical for a publisher to massage the facts like with the record deficit story, particularly in an election year. Of course, being who they are, that's even more reason for the Register folks to soft-pedal bad news for the Republicans.
Am I reading too much into the headlines? If I didn't, I would not have caught their sleight of hand. But let's test my hypothesis. Other dailies surely picked up this AP wire story. What do their headlines look like? I turned to Yahoo! News and searched for the article using deficit and Fram. You can even repeat my experiment. I posted the results below.
The top 20 hits come from 14 unique sources. Of those 14 unique sources, NINE mention $422 billion, TEN mention record deficit, and just TWO mention the lowered prediction. One of those two, from the Philadelphia Inquirer, said "Record deficit but less than forecast". The other mention comes from fredericksburg.com, a site that registered seven separate hits because it takes all AP feeds and does not produce any copy of its own.
No other news site crafted headlines like the OC Register, even though the article itself was virtually the same across the board. And to say that the CBO sees the deficit "shrinking" from its predicted size falsely implies that the deficit situation is materially improving. I mean, the CBO announcement is a prediction too. In fact, no "real" shrinking of the deficit has or will happen - especially not with the current administration. But that conclusion is exactly what the Register wants to obscure from plain view.
NEWS STORIES
- Analysts predict record deficit ALAN FRAM; The Associated Press
Tacoma News Tribune - Sep 08 1:25 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Congressional Budget Office projected Tuesday that this election-year's federal deficit will hit a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 8:15 PM
The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 8:15 AM
The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that this election-year's federal deficit will reach $422 billion, congressional aides said Tuesday, the highest ever, yet a smaller shortfall than analysts predicted earlier this year. - Analysts Expect Smaller Budget Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 5:16 AM
Congress' top budget analysts still expect the 2004 federal deficit to set a record, though a smaller one than they and the White House anticipated earlier in this election year. - Federal Budget Deficit To Reach $422B This Year, Pressure on Medicare
Medical News Today - Sep 08 4:14 PM
The federal budget deficit will reach a "record" $422 billion, or 3.6% of gross domestic product, in fiscal year 2004 and is expected to rise to $2.3 trillion over the next 10 years, in part because of the rising cost of programs such as Medicare and Social Security, according to new figures released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office, the Washington Post reports. - Federal deficit expected to be record $422 billion
Miami Herald - Sep 08 12:22 AM
Congressional analysts projected a record $422 billion deficit this year, a figure that falls short of earlier forecasts. - Federal deficit will increase to record $422 billion this year
The Ohio University Post - Sep 08 6:45 AM
WASHINGTON -The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected yesterday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - Record deficit projected
Kansas City Star - Sep 08 12:48 AM
WASHINGTON — The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday. - Deficit predicted to reach $422B
Long Beach Press-Telegram - Sep 08 12:53 AM
Parties seize record figure as political fodder. WASHINGTON — The federal deficit will swell to a record $422billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - Year's deficit to reach record $422 billion
Denver Post - Sep 07 8:08 AM
Washington - The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that this election-year's federal deficit will reach $422 billion, congressional aides said today, the highest ever, yet a smaller shortfall than analysts predicted earlier this year. - Deficit numbers still a record
Albany Democrat-Herald - Sep 07 3:06 PM
WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Office projected today that this election-year's federal deficit will hit a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year. - A record deficit but less than forecast
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Sep 08 12:22 AM
At $422 billion, the projection fell short of what had been expected. Each party had its own spin. - for
SanLuisObispo.com - Sep 08 6:29 AM
Parents, coaches and rec league officials are invited to submit their stars of the week. Please remember that kids can appear only once a month. And if your star doesn’t make it the first time, try, try again. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 5:59 PM
The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 4:30 PM
The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 10:29 AM
The Congressional Budget Office projected Tuesday that this election-year's federal deficit will hit a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit By ALAN FRAM
Fredericksburg.com - Sep 07 7:31 AM
The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that this election-year's federal deficit will reach $422 billion, congressional aides said Tuesday, the highest ever, yet a smaller shortfall than analysts predicted earlier this year. - Analysts forecast record $422 billion deficit
The Olympian - Sep 08 5:28 AM
WASHINGTON -- The federal deficit will swell to a record $422 billion this election year but fall short of even more dire forecasts, Congress' top budget analysts projected Tuesday in a report that became instant fodder for both political parties. - Congressional analysts say deficit will be record
Daily Bulletin - Sep 08 12:46 AM
WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Office projected Tuesday that this election-year's federal deficit will hit a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year. - CBO Projects $442 Billion Federal Deficit
Lebanon Daily Record - Sep 07 3:04 PM
WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Office projected Tuesday that this election-year's federal deficit will hit a record $422 billion, a shortfall that would be smaller than analysts predicted earlier this year.
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