Slight of Hand Journalism

Today’s Journal (J) spent three columns telling us that Bill Richardson ran behind Stephen Colbert in a recent poll. Now there is real news!

At the same time, the J continues to omit crucial information needed by citizens in a democracy.

Today’s article on the Valerie Plame outing neglects to mention that the President vowed to fire whoever was involved in this violation of federal law, which cost us a valuable expert who was fighting nuclear proliferation. It has since been proven that at least three White House aides were involved, all of whom lied about it, and probably Vice-President Cheney. Not only did Bush not fire the culprits, but he commuted Libby’s sentence.

Yesterday’s front page reported that the war has cost $455 Billion, which is a joke. Responsible estimates (that take into account future obligations) range from one to two trillion, the latter from Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Today’s section A reports that casualties are way down in Iraq and includes a giddy comment from a US general saying he’s never been so optimistic, and that Iraqis are, “coming forward in masses” to fight al-Quaida. Remember this!

Let’s see. Twenty-one U.S. families ruined and 651 Iraqis . . . in just October. Now that is progress.

Oh, and October cost 20 to 30 billion dollars that we DO NOT HAVE out of an economy that is teetering on the brink of recession due primarily to our debt imbalances.