Fox News to actually air correction on graphic that butchered the truth.

[Direckshun]

I know it's Media Matters, but nobody else caught this misleading graphic that Fox N Friends put on the air -- Fox News is now planning on airing a correction tomorrow based on the research Media Matters did.

So I understand MM's bias, but its presentation was so unassailable this time around that Fox News themselves will be issuing a correction.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/09...raphics/189831

Today In Dishonest Fox News Graphics
ZACHARY PLEAT
9 hours and 15 minutes ago

Fox used a dishonest comparison of two different measures of unemployment to suggest the unemployment rate has nearly doubled since President Obama took office.

During a segment criticizing the Obama administration for its messaging on the economy, a Fox & Friends graphic claimed that the "real unemployment rate" had increased from 7.8% in 2009 to 14.7% now:



But in order to make the claim that unemployment had increased from 7.8% to 14.7% during Obama's time in office, Fox had to conflate two different statistics and completely distort Obama's jobs record.

The 7.8 percent figure is the official unemployment rate from January 2009. This statistic reports on people who are unemployed and actively looking for a job. But as of the latest report, the official unemployment rate is 8.1 percent (0.3 percent higher than it was in January 2009), not 14.7 percent.

The 14.7 percent figure is a completely different measurement of the unemployed, which in addition to those who are actively looking for work, also counts people who are unemployed and discouraged from looking for a new job, part-time workers who prefer full-time employment, and more. This alternative measure of unemployment, which conservatives often call the "real" unemployment rate, was 14.2 percent in January 2009 -- 0.5 percentage points lower than it is today.

Indeed an accurate chart of this statistic would show that the rate has declined in recent years:



After being presented with the Fox graphic, Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham said: "Other than Fox News, where are you really seeing those statistics?"



Where, indeed? Fox has quite the history when it comes to presenting misleading unemployment data to its viewers:

• Last December, Fox News presented a distorted chart detailing the monthly unemployment rates during 2011, which had the November unemployment rate of 8.6 percent plotted on the same line as the previous month's 9 percent, and higher than the 8.8 percent rate from March 2011.
• Earlier in December, Fox aired a misleading graphic announcing the unemployment rate dropping from 9 percent to 8.6 percent by... showing the old 9 percent rate with a red arrow pointing down, without a mention of the then-current rate of 8.6 percent.
• In June 2010, Fox aired a misleading chart which purported to show "job loss by quarter," but really just picked random months and completely distorted the scale of its chart.

[Direckshun]

Also, I object to the part of the graphic that seems to imply that government workers are getting the best deal.

No sector of the economy has been hit harder than the public sector. If the public sector layoffs hadn't occurred, unemployment would currently be at 7.1 percent.

[HonestChieffan]

Unemployment would be 11.2 percent if labor force same as when Obama took office

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/10/un...#ixzz26DPjUHJA

Everybody is wrong. Stimulus worked, Health Care is free, and unicorns fly out your butt.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

Unemployment would be 11.2 percent if labor force same as when Obama took office

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/10/un...#ixzz26DPjUHJA

Everybody is wrong. Stimulus worked, Health Care is free, and unicorns fly out your butt.

This. Labor force participation is a better measure than the standard unemployment rate we see on the news, although even with labor force participation there are problems (e.g. number of retired workers naturally grows as the population ages).

[La literatura]

What does "Unemployment rate for gov't workers mean?" Aren't all gov't workers employed?

[LiveSteam]

Originally Posted by Literature

What does "Unemployment rate for gov't workers mean?" Aren't all gov't workers employed?

Was your mail late today?