American prosperity and the "race to the bottom:" why won't the media ask the right questions?

Journal of Economic Issues, March, 2008 by Dell P. Champlin, Janet T. Knoedler

However, in spite of the modest increase in coverage, the emphasis in most cases is limited to a simple reporting of the existence of growing inequality and middle class decline. Where causes are identified, the blame is typically attributed to factors such as rising globalization, insufficient educational attainment, or rapid technological change, factors that carry an air of inevitability and are presumed to be outside the control of policymakers. (6) In addition, media coverage of substantive studies of growing inequality and middle class struggles is balanced by the continuing effort of some conservatives to deny or minimize the problem. Conservative populist Lou Dobbs now includes a segment titled the "War on the Middle Class" on his nightly news program on CNN, where he typically assigns the blame to illegal immigrants or venal politicians (Dobbs 2006; Auletta 2006). In these circles, the increased attention to inequality and the middle class squeeze has not ushered in a notable move toward an analysis of real issues and solutions, but merely the use of "inequality" as a vehicle for ratings or a political talking point. For example, the Wall Street Journal summarized the increased attention to inequality as follows:

   Until January, President Bush seldom acknowledged the widening gap
   between the rich and the middle class. Then, in a speech, he
   declared: "I know some of our citizens worry about the fact that
   our dynamic economy is leaving working people behind ... Income
   inequality is real." He has raised the subject several times since.

   This isn't a sudden change in Mr. Bush's economic philosophy, but
   rather a change in tactics forced by the changing political
   environment, say current and former administration officials and
   outsiders in touch with the White House.

   Top White House economic officials still don't consider today's
   inequality--the growing share of income going to those at the
   top--an inherently bad thing.... (Ip and McKinnon 2007, A7)

In short, despite the renewed interest in the topic of growing inequality and the shrinking middle class, these recent media reports have not moved beyond basic reporting. Historically, the role of the media has been not to merely identify problems but also to explore and evaluate solutions (cf. Fallows 1996). In fact, it might be concluded that recent coverage has actually reduced the possibility of finding solutions, as the problem of inequality becomes the subject of strategic and overblown political rhetoric that is left unchallenged by a passive and uncurious press during the ever lengthening presidential campaign (cf. Krugman, June 8, 2007). Factual and meaningful discourse on this now 30 year trend in the U.S. economy seems more elusive than ever.

Our survey of recent news coverage about the declining fortunes of the U.S. middle class indicates three themes that are cited again and again: (1) these trends are due to inevitable and impersonal historical forces such as technological change or globalization, and the failure of the poor and middle class to adapt by acquiring appropriate skills (cf. Wessel 2005; Ip and McKinnon 2007; Blinder 2006); (2) the effect of globalization on the middle class has been exacerbated by bad government policy on trade, outsourcing and immigration (cf. Dobbs 2006, Buchanan 1998); and (3) these trends are due to the distortion of tax and other policies in favor of the rich at the expense of the middle class and the poor (cf. Krugman 2007). Very occasionally, an article will comment that the trends toward greater inequality and a shrinking middle class will contribute to sharper class divisions in the future or affect the democratic process (cf. Cassidy 1995; Bernasek 2006). For the most part, the media simply presents the three themes, unchallenged, with little substantive debate. As a consequence, the public is confronted with a menu of three flavors from which to choose with no further information on the accuracy of the analysis, the significance of the problem, the desirability of reversing this 30 year trend, or even the possibility of doing so. In other words, the "problem" is not that the media is not covering the middle class. The "problem" is that the middle class decline is easily explained and not viewed as a problem that can be solved.