Recessions and the media don’t always mix
With the topic of a recession dominating so much news lately, we asked “Marketplace” listeners how they’re feeling about a potential downturn.
We’ve heard about listeners putting off major life decisions and are worried about what might happen with their jobs. Several responses also mentioned media coverage of the possibility of recession.
Responses ranged from thoughtful judgment to scathing critique of the way the subject of recession has been handled by radio, television and print media. Here’s what some of our listeners thought.
Ian Picard, Boca Raton, Florida:
“They’ll want people to think of the most recent recession because that drives viewership. And the most recent recession happens to be a very bad one that caused a lot of people to change their conditioning about how to act in the financial world. So keep people scared and they’ll keep watching, and that’s what the media wants.”
Annabel Foery, from Lakewood, Colorado:
“When I hear the word recession, my reaction depends on the source. When I hear it from commercial media, whether online or TV or radio, well, they seem to be so driven to sensationalize everything that I take it all with a grain of salt. I get upset that all of you seem to be trying to bring us down into a recession.”
Mitchell Bentley, from Memphis, Tennessee:
“If you look at some of the headlines, you probably think that the world was about to end. I can see why anyone would think that, with the trade war, and the ‘R’ word kind of acts like a cherry on top. When I hear the media saying that a recession is coming, though, I don’t get that worried. I was taught that when you invest, you should do it for the long term.”
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