Predictions

The Media’s Cracked Crystal Ball: What Journalists Said We’d Find in 2015

rich.noyes — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 20:01:29 +0000

Rich Noyes

In the 1980s and ’90s, journalists passed along expert predictions of the world as it would be by the year 2015. Now that the New Year has finally arrived, it might be fun to recall some of those forecasts. Keep these in mind as you hear sages confidently predict what we’ll find 20 or 30 years from now:

— Rich Noyes is Research Director at the Media Research Center. Follow Rich Noyes on Twitter.

Media’s Top 10 Most Embarrassing Predictions of 2013

julia.seymour — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 16:15:24 +0000

Getting it wrong, news outlets’ erroneous forecasts: Healthcare.gov like online shopping, abundant Atlantic hurricanes, $24 billion government shutdown and more.

Sean Long

Print, broadcast or web, the media sure aren’t Nostradamus. In spite of their best attempts, the news media have gotten it wrong prediction after prediction on a wide range of business and economic issues in 2013.

Just in the past year, reporters warned of “economic doomsday,” thought Healthcare.gov was going to be “easy” just like Amazon.com, and warned of melting polar ice, even as a new record was set for ice mass.

— Sean Long is Staff Writer at the Media Research Center. Follow Sean Long on Twitter.

Networks Hype High Estimate of Shutdown Cost, Job Loss

julia.seymour — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 15:19:36 +0000

OMB finds damage to economy just one-fourth the reported size but gets little coverage.

Sean Long

The news media worried a lot about how awful the government shutdown would be and estimated it would take a huge toll on the economy as well. Now it looks like they were wrong about the size of the damage.

— Sean Long is Staff Writer at the Media Research Center. Follow Sean Long on Twitter.

‘American Atlantis’: Rolling Stone Imagines End of Miami Due to Climate Change

julia.seymour — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 14:42:39 +0000

Contributing editor uses outlandish predictions to say ‘Goodbye Miami’ from 24-foot storm surge.

Julia A. Seymour

Rolling Stone magazine really ought to stick to music and entertainment, instead of trying to get into science fiction. In it’s latest issue, the magazine presented the fictional destruction of Miami due to rising seas and climate change, which relied on “pessimistic” projections of how much the seas will rise.

Book Review: 'Climate of Corruption' Digs Deep Into Climate Change Agenda, Finds 'Big Lie'

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:04:00 +0000

Julia A. Seymour

Despite the fact that the mainstream media failed to take the ClimateGate scandal seriously, booksellers have taken notice. One book that arrived on bookstore shelves and display tables in January 2011 was 'Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax.'

Pumped Up Predictions

admin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:50:00 +0000

Dan Gainor

See Executive Summary

Even in the midst of an election and Wall Street crisis, oil and gas prices have been front and center in 2008. The huge spike in both commodities was followed by a greater collapse in those prices in recent months.

Pumped Up Prices

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

BMI Staff

Pumped Up Prices
Gas and oil prices have collapsed despite media predictions they would both spike much higher. In more than 500 oil and gas stories one thing is obvious you are better off flipping a coin than relying on media price predictions which are wrong nearly two-thirds of the time.

Media's Gas Price Crystal Ball Is Murky

admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:19:29 +0000

Dan Gainor

News by its very nature is unpredictable. Too bad many journalists don’t seem to understand that fact.

Ever since gasoline prices began a wild ride in 2004, the media have been obsessed with predicting future energy prices. Gasoline, we were told, would hit $5 a gallon. Or $6, or $7. Or maybe even $12 or $15.

Not Everything Went the Times' Way on Election Night....

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Wishful thinking about Democratic wins in Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi failed to pan out.

Clay Waters

Not everything went the way the Times - um, the Democrats- wanted on Election night, though it may have felt that way. Congressional reporter Carl Hulse's previous optimism about Democrats possibly winning a Senate seat in Kentucky didn't pan out, as the Republican minority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, retained his seat. Southern-based reporter Adam Nossiter fretted over the special Mississippi Senate race to replace the retiring Republican Sen. Trent Lott.

Year in Review: Who's Right, Who's Wrong with 2007 Predictions

admin — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:21:58 +0000

Jeff Poor

Just how good are those so-called experts who appear regularly on the news making stock picks and predictions about the economy? BusinessWeek gave readers the opportunity to see.

Some of the most prominent business and economic media pundits were surveyed in the Dec. 25, 2006, “Where to Invest” issue of BusinessWeek – including New York Times regular Ian Shepherdson, Moody’s Economy.com economist Mark Zandi and Standard & Poor’s Chief Investment Strategist Sam Stovall.

Gassing Up

admin — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:56:00 +0000

Dan Gainor

See Executive Summary

Gassing Up: Executive Summary

admin — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:55:00 +0000

Dan Gainor

See Full Story

Gas prices have again passed $3 a gallon. But Americans should be used to high prices by now – the mainstream media have been warning them of $4, $5 and even $6 a gallon for more than two years. According to a May 7, 2007, CNN poll, “more than three quarters of Americans” think they'll have to pay more than $4 a gallon this year. It’s no wonder. The media have been telling viewers that for years.

Adam Nagourney Backs off Some More

admin — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:40:00 +0000

After writing off GOP prospects on Sunday, Nagourney writes on Election Day morning: "[Democratic] expectations may well be overheated."

Clay Waters

Chief political reporter Adam Nagourney's last "Political Memo" before the election, "For Buoyant Democrats, Even a Big Gain May Feel Like a Failure," dramatically lowers expectations for Democrats - expectations he himself raised in a front-page story just two days ago.

GOP: Left for Dead on Sunday, Spark of Life on Monday

admin — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:54:00 +0000

What a difference a couple of favorable Republican polls make in the Times' coverage

Clay Waters

Sunday's lead story from Adam Nagourney and Robin Toner has a tone ofunrelieved grimness for Republican Party prospects tomorrow("G.O.P. Glum as It Struggles to Hold Congress - Lost Seats Seen, Even in Best Outcome").

Good News for GOP: Paul Krugman Sees Potential Tidal Wave of Democrats.

admin — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:37:00 +0000

Krugman: "So if the Democrats win, they'll probably have a substantial majority."

Clay Waters

Good news for Republicans - Paul Krugmanpredicts (Times Select $ required) the Democrats will take the House of Reprsentatives in a rout in Friday's"Will the Levee Break?"