Kudos to ABC’s “Good Morning America” and reporter Bianna Golodryga for illustrating that not all economy reporting has to highlight bad news.
“[W]e keep seeing that there are some signs of hope out there,” host Diane Sawyer said February 27, tossing to Golodryga’s segment highlighting some “tangible tidbits of good news to be found” about the economy.
The high tech industry is doing well, Golodrgya told viewers. And “some economists argue that it’s also a strong indicator of where our economy might be headed.” She cited economist Russ Hancock, who said, “As technology regions go, the rest of the country quickly follows.”
And there are other signs the economy isn’t as troubled as the media would have us believe, Golodryga added. “Exports are on the rise, interest rates continue to fall and Congress has jumped in with a stimulus package and tax rebates should wind up in
Then came a real shocker. When the time came to include expert opinion on the economic outlook, Golodryga bucked a media-wide trend of focusing on negativity and ignoring optimists. She actually cited opinion from several angles.
The painfully pessimistic former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, said he “wouldn’t be surprised if this recession is deeper than the last two.”
Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch predicted the economy “would feel like a recession but wouldn’t be one.”
Economist and author Ben Stein said the economy “is nowhere near as bad as the media is making it out to be.”
Golodryga and GMA presented a nice positive story that, for once, included some real balance.