Painting Political Pictures with Words

Here is Dean Baker with his Beat the Press blog catching the Washington Post, yet again, slipping politically charged, emotional words into a supposedly "objective" news story:

How Does the Post Know That the Debt Is Becoming "Crushing?"

Yes, it was just a throw away line. But serious newspapers do not say in front page story that:

"Over the long term, the deal could help free the nation from what is fast becoming a crushing debt."

Lines about a "crushing debt" should appear in quotations or left to the opinion pages. They should not be assertions of fact to readers.

Manipulating people by painting emotionally charged pictures is just plain propaganda. This is why Dean Baker likes to refer to the Washington Post as "Fox on 15th Street".