AP Math: 0.2% Rise is Small, 0.4% Rise is Modest, 0.6% Decline is Plunge

NewsBusters readers are well aware of our contention that the press have adopted the 1992 strategy of making every economic report look like the world is coming to an end - and no finer example is available than Thursday's Associated Press article concerning February's very disappointing retail sales report.

To be sure, store traffic was much worse than expected last month, and we are not trying to paint a rosy picture. However, there are two truly disturbing elements in Martin Crutsinger's piece entitled "Retail Sales Plunge by 0.6 Percent"...

1. A 0.2 percent rise was depicted as "small," a 0.4 percent rise was "modest," but a 0.6 percent decline was a "plunge"

2. In February, January's rise in retail sales was "surprisingly strong." Now, that same rise was depicted as "modest."

There's more of course...

READ MORE