by Diane Benjamin
The Pantagraph has a HUGE fear of being exposed for their bias reporting. This is in YOUR hands. They will never reform unless the citizens DEMAND it or quit paying them. Maybe their advertisers need to be contacted and asked why they are willing to support the spreading of flat out lies! Maybe you should share this site even more often so citizens will know the truth! Maybe we should picket the Pantagraph, call in some real press, and get the story out there: The Pantagraph can not be trusted on ANY level. They have an agenda and the entire paper reflects what they want the facts to be, instead of what they actually are.
Last month I reported on how the Pantagraph presented unemployment in McLean County: http://blnnews.com/2012/07/27/the-pantagraph-makes-it-too-easy/ From May to June 2012 to unemployment rate in McLean County went up 1.4%. The Pantagraph reported unemployment had creeped up because they compared the June 2012 rate to June 2011. No need to let people know McLean County is CRASHING! The people might think there is something wrong and not vote for their guy(s)!
Today they did it again. The story title is: B-N joblessness same as year ago. Who cares about a year ago? We are supposedly in a recovery. The unemployment rate in McLean County went up again – only .1 percent, but it did not remain the same. Maybe Normal won’t be able to pay their “Uptown” bills if unemployment keeps going up. Maybe Bloomington won’t be able to spend money on everything but roads if unemployment goes up.
The story gets worse. It goes on to quote Greg Rivara from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
“The economy is improving. overall we’re doing better that we were a year ago and two years ago. When looking at the monthly data, we’re seeing numbers that are moving up or moving down ever so slightly. But when we step back and look at the trend, we see that trend line moving downward.”
Really?
Twin Cities up .1
Champaign up .1
Decatur up .6
E. St Louis up .7
Lake Ken. up .3
Peoria up .2
Rockford up .3
Springfield up .5
Chicago had a .2 decrease, maybe Rahm hired more staff or maybe people are FLEEING Illinois.
Pantagraph: Is AFSME and SEIU paying you off just like they pay off the Democrats? There must be some excuse for not telling the truth. Let us know what it is.
Let’s not forget that this unemployment number actually goes down when people give up looking and that real unemployment/underemployment is much higher.
Their readership is way down due to the lack of offering any real substance to what they report. The paper that used to be worth a dime or two, now isn’t worth a plugged nickel. I really feel for the many good people who still work there caught between a rock and a hard place. Still have to work and put bread on the table, so go along to get along to keep their job. That is what today represents. Few willing to speak up for what is truth but fortunately those numbers are growing.