The April 10 New York Times devoted half its op-ed space to an elaborate attempt to demonstrate the benefits of globalization, with charts showing that “more globalized” nations do better than “less globalized” on measures ranging from average inflation to the rule of law. But one obvious measure of economic health, the economic growth rate, was conspicuously absent—perhaps because those statistics would have directly contradicted the op-ed’s point. “Globalizing Good Government,” written by Richard W. Fisher and W. Michael Cox of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, chided opponents of a (subsequently scuttled) French law making it easier to fire [...]
Apr
11
2006
Globalization vs. Growth
NYT op-ed omits stats that debunk pro-corporate claims
The April 10 New York Times devoted half its op-ed space to an elaborate attempt to demonstrate the benefits of globalization, with charts showing that "more globalized" nations do better than "less globalized" on measures ranging from average inflation to the rule of law. But one obvious measure of economic health, the economic growth rate, is conspicuously absent—perhaps because those statistics would have directly contradicted the op-ed's point. "Globalizing Good Government," written by Richard W. Fisher and W. Michael Cox of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, chided opponents of a French law that would have made it easier to [...]
Sep
23
2005
Still Covering for Wal-Mart
ABC report has no space for critics
In an August 10 action alert, FAIR wondered if ABC's reporting on corporate giant Wal-Mart was improperly influenced by Wal-Mart's status as a major advertiser on the network's news programming. While ABC failed to answer FAIR's charges, a September 20 World News Tonight report on Wal-Mart's business practices in China once again suggests favoritism toward the network's sponsor. Anchor Charlie Gibson began by mentioning the "kind of gold rush" happening in China, where companies "from the U.S. and beyond position themselves to grab a piece of the fastest-growing market in the world." Gibson then turned to ABC colleague Bill Weir [...]
Aug
05
2005
Jonathan Tasini on AFL-CIO and Greg Mitchell on Hiroshima
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The break up of the 13 million member AFL-CIO has been the biggest labor story in recent weeks, but have corporate media been doing justice to the story? We'll talk to labor and economics writer Jonathan Tasini about that, as well as about coverage of CAFTA and what the New York Times has against his response in particular to the passing of that agreement. Also this week: Uncovering the truth about the horrors of war. A new documentary reveals suppressed images of civilian suffering--not from Iraq, but from Japan 60 years ago. Greg Mitchell [...]
Jun
24
2005
Chris Slevin on CAFTA, Amitabh Pal on Tom Friedman
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The debate over the Central American Free Trade Agreement is heating up, and while there is greater split in political and corporate elites than there was in the 1990's NAFTA debate, media cheerleading for the so-called free trade legislation is still a given. We'll talk to Chris Slevin, the deputy director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch about CAFTA. Also on the program: New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's new book is a bestseller, despite a writing style somehow simultaneously tortured and goofy. But does the argument of The World Is Flat: A Brief [...]
May
13
2005
Karen Hansen-Kuhn on CAFTA, Ray McGovern on 'Smoking Gun Memo'
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: international trade is on the agenda in Washington, with the White House pushing for Congress to vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. The trade pact is getting next to no mainstream media attention, even though the political fight over it is heating up. We'll talk to Karen Hansen-Kuhn of the Alliance for Responsible Trade about that. Also this week: On May 1, the London Times reported on the secret British intelligence memo that seems to confirm suspicions that the Bush White House manipulated intelligence to make the case for war. [...]
Nov
01
2004
The Budget Deficit's Bigger Brother
Editorialists ignore looming trade gap
Everyone knows the federal budget deficit is a lurking danger, a dagger pointed at the heart of our economy. We know this in large part because newspaper editorials keep telling us so. The budget deficit is one of the few issues on which editorialists feel free to challenge both political parties, where they regularly advance their own proposals instead of simply reacting to the plans put forward by politicians. It’s a subject that inspires them to appeal to “vision” and “boldness” and “radical reform,” instead of the tepid me-too-ism that they normally serve up. Media pundits play the role of [...]
May
01
2004
NAFTA's Hung Jury
After ten years, an honest verdict is hard to find
By Roger Bybee
A decade ago, major U.S. media joined corporate and political elites in steamrolling the public's overwhelming 64 percent opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (Gallup, 8/8/93), and NAFTA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Major U.S. media almost uniformly dismissed NAFTA's opponents as backward-looking "protectionists." Mean-while, editorial writers and pundits almost unanimously predicted substantial economic and social gains in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Even news articles reflected this heavy-handed bias; one study found the New York Times and Washington Post quoted more than three times as many pro-NAFTA sources as critics (Extra! Update, 10/93). Ironically, [...]
