Featured Topic - U.S. Economy
Today's featured topic is the U.S. Economy. Recent efforts to prop up financial markets have thus far failed to allay fears of broader instability in both the U.S. and world economies. How well is the media reporting the implications of this developing crisis? Help us find good journalism about this topic -- and review our recommended stories on the U.S. Economy.
I have never been an economy buff, but I remember when Alan Greenspan stepped down as chairmen of the federal reserve and I thought to myself: A giant is leaving the building. The U.S. economy would hang on his every word. Presidents must have greeted him with more respect than some foreign leaders.
Since taking over the chair Ben Bernanke has had a full plate. This weekend, the media turned their eye towards him and the U.S. economy, as reports began pouring in that we are officially entering a recession, perhaps the worst since World War II.
So let's take a look at some of the news articles that have been submitted to our topic on the U.S. Economy.
- J.P. Morgan Buys Bear in Fire Sale, As Fed Widens Credit to Avert Crisis - Wall Street Journal
- Oil hits record over $111 a barrel as dollar slumps - Reuters
- False promise of free lunch - Seattle Post Intelligencer
And more.
It's certainly one of those weeks where the business outlook is not very rosy. So what's our role as news consumers? We are being informed - but I believe we also have to help inform each other.
As I said in the beginning of this post. I am no economic buff. But I do follow the economics of the journalism industry. For example, in the Journalism.org article "The State of the News Media 2008: Newspaper Content Analysis," pointed out to me by Beth Wellington, I can see the strengths and weaknesses of the article and its relation to economics. Yes, newspapers have covered the economy well - they've also been suffering from it as well.
Different industries are being affected by the looming recession accordingly. Everyone is an expert in their own right - and to the extent that the economy touches all our lives, we can help each other decipher good information from bad information.
And, just in case hard-core economics isn't your cup-o-tea, don't think this topic isn't for you. Everyone is an expert at something, and I'm willing to bet that your expertise, your niche corner of the world will be adversely touched by the downturn of the U.S. economy. We need your help to find good content that explains why.
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