Sloppy Journalism #19 – Falling for the Smoke & Mirrors routine
The SST Editorial writer seems to have fallen for the G20 Smoke & Mirrors show as this post will show.
Not content with the comment about Michelle Obama noted in NZ ObamaBalls #1 the SST editorial turned to consideration of Mr Obama.
Note the first part of the SST editorial was about the Queen and Michelle’s hug-fest. Only towards the end of the editorial do we get to consideration of why Michelle Obama was meeting the Queen. The fact that the G20 Summit to try and resolve aspects of the global economic crisis was taking place. Sloppy journalism, but seems to be typical of the SST.
After gushing over Michelle Obama and her Amazonian physique, we get:-
Sunday Star Times - Editorial - April 5
It is a shame that the SST appears to have fallen for the spin. After all as Adam pointed out in his Quote for Today:-
Figures at the end of any international summit need to be examined closely, particularly those presented by the UK prime minister. His reputation for numerical inflation, repeat announcements and double counting precedes him.
Gordon Brown is renowned for this. Chris Giles of the FT, author of the quote, wrote this article which debunked the numbers.
Chris Giles concluded:-
When all the sums are added together, rather than $1,100bn, the new commitments appear to be below $100bn and most of those were in train without the G20 summit. While the inflation of relatively small and old commitments into an enormous number does not render the summit a failure, the desire to produce large headline numbers as the main result of the gathering suggests the divisions and spats on other issues were considerable.
Let this one example below in respect of trade finance suffice:-
the $250bn figure fails to stand up to minimal testing. An annex to the communiqué says that the new money committed is only $3bn-$4bn and the $250bn figure is an aspiration for the amount of trade that will be financed over the next two years rather than the amount of new trade finance.
So the SST would appear to have fallen for the Smoke & Mirrors. Yet a little research would have revealed the reality. More concerned with Mrs Obama’s appearance than whether the G20 achieved anything substantive.
Sloppy yes, poor quality journalism yes;yet a few minutes of research would have shown up the reality. Focusing on hugs with the Queen, rather than on substance – completely lacking in judgment.
As Chris Giles noted:-
While the inflation of relatively small and old commitments into an enormous number does not render the summit a failure, the desire to produce large headline numbers as the main result of the gathering suggests the divisions and spats on other issues were considerable.
That is the scary issue. If Giles is correct then the fissures in the global economy have not been bridged, nor papered over. Consequently we may have a long way to go yet before the picture radically improves.
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Like the mainstream media’s coverage of the Obama Presidential campaign circus, where a distinct phobia prevailed against the capacity for reason – better characterised as the Obama Deranged Syndrome or more simply endorsed as Obamania – it appears that the SST Editorial writer has not only fallen for the G20 Smoke & Mirrors show but also been seduced by Obamania.