How Media Shapes Opinion

Here is an excellent post by Dean Baker pointing out how an article hosted by the Huffington Post is in fact an anti-union screed from some authors who purvey opinion as fact and ignore alternative viewpoints:

That is what readers can infer from an article that celebrated efforts by governments to weaken public supports for workers and to undermine their bargaining power. The article is filled with vague assertions about these measures are being celebrated, for example the first sentence telles readers that"

"In the ashes of Europe's debt crisis, some see the seeds of long-term hope (emphasis added)."

It continues:

"That's because the threat of bankruptcy is forcing governments to implement reforms that economists argue are necessary to help Europe prosper in a globalized world – but were long viewed as being politically impossible because of entrenched social attitudes."

The article does not point out that there are actually sharp differences among economists on whether Europe needs to make changes to "prosper in a globalized world." Unlike the United States, which has huge trade deficits, Europe has consistently had near balanced trade.

Some countries like Germany and Denmark have consistently run large trade surpluses, inspite of having very strong welfare states. This is why many economists, including the OECD in its official assessment of member state economies, argue that strong welfare states are entirely consistent with international competitiveness. This article implies that there is a consensus among economists that European welfare states must be weakened. There is not the case.

It is funny that much of "opinion" in the US has claimed for decades that Europe's economies are failing and hopeless. Funny because Europe keeps trudging along doing quite well by ignoring American "opinion".

The point Baker is making is that media in general, and these journalists in particular, makes claims that are never challenged. This shapes opinion in the US through repetition. Opinion becomes fact. This pressure and manipulation brought success to the political right with the rise of Reaganism. That was 30 years ago and it promised a "new dawn". The reality is that the last 30 years have been far worse than the post thirty years from FDR's supposed "tyranny". The era from 1940 to 1970 were a golden age. The era from 1980 to 2010 have been a disaster.