The networks spin on gasoline prices

(Welcome visitors from Mudville Gazette open post. )

For a while it seemed a day didn't pass without MSM news organizations reporting rising gasoline prices and what they said would be the consequences.

Consumers would be hurt and the economy slowed. The President's poll ratings were sure to drop further. Angry voters might even overturn Republican control of Congress in the '06 election.

But for a month now, gasoline prices have been dropping steadily and significantly. Here in North Carolina, regular in early October sold at $3.19 per gallon. Today it's $2.54 per gallon.

But we're not hearing much from MSM about how a 20% price drop in just one month will help consumers or the economy. And we're certainly not hearing anything about how the price drop will help the President or Republicans.

In fact, blogger Dan Gainer reports that as prices have dropped this past month, the major networks have actually continued to emphasize the increase in gas prices(bold added - JinC).

Gas prices fell steadily from October 6 and continued through the end of the month. The decline had little impact on media coverage. Stories about falling prices still made up just 21 percent of the coverage through October 30.

In fact, the national average price for regular gasoline isn't just lower than it was before Rita, it’s now more than 10 cents per gallon below pre-Katrina levels, according to AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report.
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Even after it had admitted gas prices were falling, NBC still pushed the opposite.

During the October 28 “Nightly News,” anchor Brian Williams still reported a piece on gas prices this way: “NBC News In Depth tonight, the outrage across this country today everywhere people were ponying up to pay more for gas.” Reporter Anne Thompson followed up talking about a “summer marked by hurricanes and $3 gasoline.” She left out that gas had already fallen to $2.55 by that report.

Gainer has quite a bit more in his post. After reading it, I wondered again how the networks can claim they report the news accurately and free of partisan spin.