NBC Short on Social Security
"Crisis" Critics
Fair.org
January 12, 2005
The debate over George W. Bush's plan to privatize Social
Security seems to be heating up, and some media outlets are
beginning to notice the flaws in the White House's argument that
there is an imminent "crisis" in the decades-old government
program. On the January 11 NBC Nightly News broadcast, anchor
Brian Williams seemed to be addressing that issue, introducing a
segment by noting that "critics say he's exaggerating the problem
to sell his plan, while not yet talking about big cuts in future
retiree benefits."
But the report that followed included no such critics of the
administration's "crisis" rhetoric. There was certainly room for
such opinions, considering that NBC quoted Bush making a glaring
exaggeration in describing the plan: "So if you're 20 years old,
in your mid-20s, and you're beginning to work, I want you to
think about a Social Security system that will be flat bust."
None of the projections of Social Security's future contend that
the system will be "flat bust"; even by the Social Security
trustees' pessimistic assumptions, the system will always be able
to pay more to future retirees than current recipients get
(Economic Reporting Review, www.cepr.net, 12/6/04).
But NBC correspondent David Gregory failed to check Bush's
comment, following up only by mentioning that "before settling on
a final proposal, aides say the president needs more time to
define the problem, one he calls a crisis." One would hope that a
journalist would be more interested in pointing out that Bush's
attempt to "define the problem" as a "crisis" apparently involves
wild exaggerations.
NBC did include comments from one worker who was worried about
future benefit cuts in Social Security. His fears were balanced
by a soundbite from David John, billed by NBC as a "Social
Security Analyst" and one of the "supporters of the benefit cut."
Left unmentioned, however, was Johns' institutional affiliation:
He works for the conservative Heritage Foundation, one of the
most active pro-privatization think tanks in the country.
It's good that NBC is at least referring to the existence of
"criticism that the president is exaggerating the need for
change." But NBC would better serve its viewers by actually
including those views in its reports.
ACTION:
Encourage NBC Nightly News to expand its coverage of Social
Security to include experts who believe Bush's claims of an
imminent Social Security "crisis" are untrue.
CONTACT:
NBC Nightly News
nightly@nbc.com
Phone: (212) 664-497
|