Does the media intentionally mislead by the way it reports stories, especially when political in nature?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080814/ap_on_go_ot/white_minority;_ylt=AmmYZlCZluUxQ.t16SsvX1sGw_IE

Headline: White Americans no longer a majority by 2042

A sensationalized headline which gives a false impression. The story revolves around changing minority demographics. In the story they break down the census bureau statistic projections for 2050, which are as follows.

White Non Hispanic 46 percent

Blacks 15 percent

Hispanic: 30 percent

Asian: 9 percent

Now reading the headline it gives the impression that one ethnic group will out pace whites in demographics, but the reality is given these numbers whites will still be the majority race of the population. In order to say otherwise you would have to add all other minorities together.

What do you think. Misleading or not?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

No.  The source of confusion is your own lack of comprehension of the English language.

Whites will no longer comprise the majority of US citizens by 2050, according to the projections, so it would be accurate to say they won't be the majority.

Note that it doesn't claim another single group will have more.

Answer 3

Ya know, I didn't even read that article when I saw it on the front page because I don't care.

Answer 4

Absolutely misleading!  When I heard the tease for this story on TV last night, I had to research the facts to find out for myself what the heck they were meaning since I found what they presented to be implausible.  Seems we must question the main stream media's motive in presenting us with a blatantly false headline regarding the Census Bureau's projections.

Answer 5

You're kidding right?

Of course the media misleads people. Have you ever noticed that every single innocent Palestinian killed in the last thirty years is an "extremist" or "militant." While each and every single Israeli is a "civilian." The lesson on draws from this is that according to the media simply being a Palestinian makes you an extremist, and thus an acceptable target.  

Answer 6

News is only misleading if the media is owned by the government. Just like NPR.  

Answer 7

The headline is not misleading nor is it incorrect. I'm guessing that math is and was not your strong suit.

15 + 30 + 9 = 54%  non-white

46%  white

54% > 46%  Whites will not be the majority in 2042 if this turns out to be an accurate prediction.

Why don't you want to add all the minorities together?

It is not at all misleading. But that's not to say that you can just blindly take what the media says. You still have to be discerning and question things. You have to think. Is it that hard?

edit: Not reading everything is my weakness. In my defense, I do have a learning disability so sometimes it's hard to help. Bite me bro. I do my best. As someone smarter than me below points out that reading comprehension isn't your strong suit either. This story isn't worth so much time. Who cares. It matters what action you decide to take. Are you afraid of becoming a minority? I couldn't care less actually. But I don't spend my time trying to oppress others.

edit: I am over myself. I never was all about myself ever. Your question makes me think that you are very biased but don't see it that way. This is old news to me actually. I'm guessing that I'm older than you. I'm guessing that you probably didn't do so well in school or you went to a school that wasn't that competitive. I never got that impression that another ethnicity was going to take over. I think it's your bias that is the problem.  Hispanics are widespread as are blacks and Indians. Don't forget the asian population. The world is a colorful place. I don't see why this story is so important. How is this at all political???  I don't see that connection at all.

edit: The media can be misleading. They have to attract advertisers for one. They attract advertisers by attracting a broad and large audience. To get that broad and large audience then they  have to get their attention with stories that attract attention. It's important to be thinking when you watch the news. If you don't then it's easy to get sucked in to what they want you to walk away with. I don't think the media is trying to deliberately brain wash people or make them see things a certain way. I think people do that all by themselves by not thinking for themselves. You are thinking but your bias is causing you to draw conclusions that have a conspiracy tilt to them and that is problematic. No need to lean towards paranoia. That's my point.

edit: Back to the MBA for one sec, I worked really hard for that. You have no idea obviously. I put in a lot of hours and time with other students. I won a scholarship for the first time ever. I received a lot of accolades from my instructors. It is an accomplishment, especially as someone with a learning disability and according to one teacher, I wouldn't make it to college. It goes to show what determination and discipline can do. (Discipline for me came later in life) I struggled.

edit: So you are right that whites will be the largest single group. Big deal. We will still be a minority as a whole. Think of the implications for that. We will see more diversity everywhere. Where I grew up has changed a lot. There are a lot more hispanics, blacks, asians, and indians. Whites still seem the majority but not like they used to be. The demographics in the U.S. are changing and the point of the story that I got is that it's changing dramatically. In the 80s, it was predicted by my teachers that hispanics would be taking over. My teachers were correct because where I grew up, you can see it. The town where my parents live, they call the schools Mini UN because of the diversity. It has created language problems. There are so many different languages spoken such as Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindu (?), etc. The teachers are struggling. Can you imagine what it must be like for them?  It's not a matter of trying to just get kids to stay still and listen. It's a lot more complicated. It's a lot more expensive too.

I used to work at the BK and it was mostly white but some hispanics and blacks. Now it's 100% hispanics. That's pretty dramatic in 10 years. The grocery stores in town are mostly hispanic. My mom complains about trying to find someone that speaks English. This is a common problem across the U.S.

edit: Thank you. That is not my intention. I apologize profusely for seeming arrogant and smug. I assure you as best I can that I am actually neither of those things. I am one of the nicest people that you could ever meet. I'm sincere. I have strong opinions but I'm not in love with them. I don't mean to insult you. I apologize for that as well. I am truly sorry. I am a bit embarrassed. I will try to be more careful in my answers. My intent is to try to be understood. I sometimes struggle with language. I am dyslexic. I am. It's not just about reading letters backwards on occasion. There is more to it but everyone jokes about that. I do reread what I write. I am trying to be clear. I'm not writing with a malicious intent, not at all. I care. I want to help.

Answer 8

I don't think it's misleading, the Hispanic birth rate is much higher then other groups and when you add immigration ( both legal and illegal ) you have that prediction, 2+2 does = 4. Also

it sounds like some of your additions are the equivalent of a fish that's just gotten pulled out of the water and onto a boat, you don't like what the census bureau said so it must be they who are wrong etc., because they're not saying what you want to hear.

Answer 9

no

Answer 10

To answer your main question...Yes. Have a look at those who own the major media outlets and then have a look at what is going to benefit them and their cronies. If you have the the attention of the masses you can change public opinion. Doesn't matter what the story is, the headline has already done it's job by cementing the bias of those who would be influenced by it.