About the Author

Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Should Reporters Have To Know What They Are Talking About?

November 19th, 2008 • Richard Cochrane
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…most print reporters and nearly all television newsreaders have little or no economic or scientific education - nor are they the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say most reporters and media outlets try to make the economy seem worse than it really is, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Sixteen percent (16%) say most reporters and media outlets try to make the economy look better than it really is, while 25% say they present an accurate picture. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided.

Investors are even more skeptical. Fifty-one percent (51%) say the media makes the economy appear worse than it actually is, compared to 40% of non-investors.

(See article America Divided Into Literate And Illiterate November 16, 2008 , Hypocrisy.com), i.e., “ News, political debate, theater, art and books are judged not on the power of their ideas but on their ability to entertain. Cultural products that force us to examine ourselves and our society are condemned as elitist and impenetrable.”

A private analysis I am privileged to, found that most print reporters and nearly all television newsreaders have little or no economic or scientific education. Further a small study and analysis showed print reporters to have average IQ and television newsreaders to be somewhat below average in native intelligence as measured on the Stanford-Binet 5th generation scale that is the most up-to-date.

I must disclose that in 1960 as a completely hollow-headed boy I was an invited participant in the recalibration that resulted in the 4th revision of the standard Stanford-Binet scalling..

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