{"id":13394,"date":"2023-03-15T07:41:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T11:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=13394"},"modified":"2023-03-15T07:51:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T11:51:28","slug":"the-misinformation-watch-they-hope-we-wont-notice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=13394","title":{"rendered":"the misinformation watch… they hope we won’t notice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As persons in search of credible news, that means we maximize the credible and minimize the bias. AllSides,<\/em> one of the Intramuralist\u2019s fave sources (that is, when in search of the objective and thus accurate perspective), has a tool recently realized. It\u2019s entitled the \u201cMisinformation Watch.\u201d Allow us to elaborate, courtesy of AllSides:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMisinformation<\/strong> \u2014 false or misleading information shared without explicit intent to deceive \u2014 is a concern on the left and right. Some believe misinformation is a grave threat, and the spreading of falsehoods is a danger to democracy. Others believe \u2018misinformation\u2019 is a propaganda term used to justify silencing certain people or those sharing dissenting perspectives. In a polarized political and media landscape, accusations of misinformation are often applied to any position or perspective that one group finds objectionable or concerning. What, then, constitutes \u2018misinformation\u2019 or \u2018disinformation\u2019 for one group may simply represent another group\u2019s honest estimation of the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence comes the zillion dollar question: How can we tell misinformation from truth? <\/em><\/strong>(Key hint: it doesn\u2019t depend on whether it\u2019s from the left or the right.) <\/em>Lest we think it\u2019s only one side or another, let\u2019s take a look. Notice last week\u2019s response to Pres. Biden’s 2024\u00a0$6.8 trillion federal government budget proposal. As AllSides<\/em> calmly noted, it didn\u2019t take long to spark misinformation\u2026 [All emphasis is mine.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Associated Press (Lean Left bias) reported that \u2018Biden\u2019s budget would reduce the debt.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) reported that the plan \u2018would result in a $1.8 trillion deficit, further adding to the country\u2019s high debt,\u2019 its headline stated that the proposal would not \u2018stabilize the debt.\u2019 <\/em>Both reports spun data-based estimates to portray misleading conclusions.<\/em><\/strong> Estimates from budget watchdogs contain more context.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported that under Biden\u2019s proposed budget, \u2018debt would rise at a slower rate than projected under current law but still reach a new record as a share of the economy by 2027.\u2019 <\/em>So debt would likely still rise, just at a slower pace. <\/em><\/strong>House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said the proposal was \u2018doubling down on the same Far Left spending policies that have led to record inflation and our current debt crisis.\u2019 It is not accurate to pin the debt crisis entirely on the left, as McCarthy does here. <\/em>Since the last time the federal government recorded a budget surplus in 2001, two of four U.S. presidents have been Republicans.<\/em><\/strong> During those administrations, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of Congress for three congressional sessions. The two Democratic presidents held majorities in both chambers of Congress for one congressional session. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the proposal, Biden states that \u2018we\u2019 have cut the deficit \u2018by more than $1.7 trillion in the first 2 years of my Administration\u2014the largest reduction in American history.\u2019 This is technically true, but<\/em> lacks crucial context<\/em><\/strong> on the unique economic challenges faced in 2020 as the country responded to COVID-19. In 2019 for example, before the pandemic, the deficit was $0.98 trillion, lower than estimates state it would be under Biden\u2019s proposed budget.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another claim circulating among politicians is that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is responsible for blocking the proposal from turning into legislation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Republican lawmakers are taking credit for blocking the proposal, citing Republican control of the House of Representatives as a stopgap on Biden\u2019s agenda. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that \u2018the American people can thank the Republican House\u2019 for blocking the proposal.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While united Republican opposition to the proposal will certainly stop it, Democratic support is not guaranteed, either. Biden faced pushback on spending bills before the midterm elections, when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. This plan includes spending proposals similar to Biden\u2019s \u2018Build Back Better\u2019 plan from earlier in his administration. \u2018Build Back Better\u2019 was opposed by Republicans in Congress, but it was Democratic defectors like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) who doomed its chances of passing. It\u2019s possible that this budget proposal would have the same opposition from centrist Democrats as \u2018Build Back Better\u2019 did.<\/em> That’s true, but <\/em>the proposal was not guaranteed to get full support from Democrats.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So note the conclusion of the \u201cMisinformation Watch,\u201d which is intriguing to say the least\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBiden’s proposal neither eliminates the deficit nor stabilizes debt, according to estimates. Saying definitely that it would \u2014 as some outlets did \u2014 qualifies as misinformation. However, no President of any party has done this in 22 years. The federal deficit increased every year of the Trump Administration, and so far has decreased every year of the Biden Administration, largely due to the end of many pandemic-era spending programs. The plan does not get rid of the deficit, which is expected to grow over the next decade due to multiple Biden-era investments in infrastructure, climate tech, manufacturing, and more\u2026 The proposal would not stabilize or reduce the national debt, as critics on the right have noted. It estimates a reduction to the federal deficit by slowing down the accumulation of new debt, which budget watchdogs also believe it could do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what we call \u201cmisinformation.\u201d On the left. On the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s maximize the credible. Minimize the bias. And not allow \u201cmisleading media reports to dictate our feelings on a story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As persons in search of credible news, that means we maximize the credible and minimize the bias. AllSides, one of the Intramuralist\u2019s fave sources (that is, when in search of the objective and thus accurate perspective), has a tool recently realized. It\u2019s entitled the \u201cMisinformation Watch.\u201d Allow us to elaborate, courtesy of AllSides: \u201cMisinformation \u2014 … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “the misinformation watch… they hope we won’t notice”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-event"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13394"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13407,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13394\/revisions\/13407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}