What if the media just made shit up to try to stimulate the economy?

[bluestateguy]

SOmetimes I think that the media's handwringing only makes the situation worse (and yes, things are very bad). But their reporting does tend to make a lot of people nervous, and that influences their economic behavior.

Let's say we lived in make believe-counterfactual-hypothetical land. What if the media ignored all bad economic news, such that reporting it would only lead to more panic, reduction of spending and further declining GDP. What if the media did a sort of "Wag the Dog" for the economy: make up a bunch of fake news stories about surging production, new jobs, crowded shopping malls and restaurants; then they could make up a bunch of fake statistics about unemployment and consumer spending. The purpose would be to get people feeling good about the economy again. Would that work?

(I don't endorse this idea, but I have always been curious to know if it would work.)

[Idealism]

1. Didn't work out too well in the Soviet Union

When the dollars run out, you can pretend all you want but people know.

[Warpy]

2. Don't you watch CNBC or the other Wall Street hype stations?

The happy talkers are out in force.

It's just not working any more.

[Merlot]

3. I htink the media pretty much ignored all the warning signs and the

actual recension that "started" in January 08.

Really, I knew we were in a recession in January, yet I kept hearing/reading from the msm that we were not "technically" in a recession.

Right now they are not reporting on how bad things really are.

[libertypirate]

4. Isn't that what they are doing?

believe-counterfactual-hypothetical land....

Don't we?

The rich are never the problem...

The military industrial complex always needs more money...

Unemployment is calculated if you are only recently out of work...

Oh and my personal favorite, money grows on federal reserve loans...

[KansDem]

5. So instead of reporting something like "Nearly 30 Percent of San Diego Mortgages Underwater"

They should say something like:


Over 70 percent of San Diego mortgagees have equity in their home!

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Of course it would. They might even stop at WalMart on the way to the Unemployment office. n/t

[mrreowwr_kittty]

7. 1984 nt