Continued Controversy Over Definition of "Recession"
Andres Kudacki/AP
We ran the numbers: There are 2,062 news articles covering this topic. 34% (692) are left-leaning, 34% (706) are centrist, and 32% (664) are right-leaning.
Arguments continue to swirl over the definition of a recession after the Commerce Department released a report declaring that the U.S. has faced a second consecutive quarter of negative GDP growth. While left-leaning articles highlight other factors in declaring a recession as well as economic considerations in the upcoming midterm elections, right-leaning articles highlight changes of views by journalists about the word.
A left-leaning article from Politico focuses on how the Biden administration continues to assert that the U.S. is not in a recession, but Republicans are in a position to bash Democratic candidates for the economy. The article also notes that many economists consider other factors than negative GDP growth to define a recession, a word that Politico describes as “politically charged with no precise definition.”
NPR published a centrist article reporting on how Wikipedia froze edits to its page defining a recession after new users violated the website's policies. The rogue edits seemed to have a political bias and lacked proper citations.
A right-leaning article from Fox News highlights how journalists from Politico, CNN, and MSNBC reversed course and no longer align themselves with the Biden administration’s definition of a recession. The article notes that the “Biden administration attempted to redefine what a recession was.”
From the right
Politico, CNN, MSNBC journalists back off recession definition they previously espoused
Fox News