Media hype

I read an article today about the decline in sales tax revenue which nationally fell about 6% in the last quarter of 2008. In Ohio sales tax revenue was down .7% compared to 2007, but adjusted for inflation that figures out to be about 4%.

Newsprint journalists write in the "inverted pyramid" format with the most important information in the first sentence or two with each sentence thereafter of decreasing importance. Presumably that's because most readers don't have the attention span or time to read the whole article. In the first sentence of this article the writer described consumer spending as "screeching to a halt." And in the same sentence the claim is made that governments are watching a major revenue source "dry up."

While there is cause for concern in declining sales tax revenue, the terms are exaggerated and perhaps intended to elicit response that keeps readers coming back for more. Then again, a lot of journalists are losing their jobs these days to the declining market for print media so maybe they themselves are writing out of fear. So much for objective journalism.

I'm thinking of the last few businesses where I shopped and it would be difficult to confirm a recession by the number of cars in the lot. On the upside of declining sales revenue, maybe that means people are saving more of their earnings, and getting better at living within their budget. That's a good thing.

Then there's the issue of swine flu. The U.S. Center for Disease Control reports that every year 36,000 people die from "flu-related causes." When was the last time you heard the annual flu season described as an "epidemic," but that's how this swine flu outbreak is being described. So far I have not heard of one death in the U.S. But just about every news web page has a photo of people wearing masks.

If you know where to look you can find a sane approach to this issue in learning to take better care of ourselves, specifically in supporting the incredible immune system that we come ready-made with. That's a subject for another time.