Media Jump on Social Security Cuts
to Obscure Details of Bush Plan
Washington Post, New York Times
herald benefit cuts while news networks dismiss President
Bushs sales pitch.
By
Charles Simpson
April 29, 2005
In the walkup to President Bushs April
28, 2005, news conference, both ABCs Terry Moran and CBS News John
Roberts stated that Bush was planning to cut Social Security
benefits for wealthier Americans. However, even after the president
made his objectives clear, the next mornings Washington Post
claimed "Bush Social Security Plan Would Cut Future Benefits," while
the New York Times announced "Bush Cites Plan That Would Cut Social
Security Benefits." Actually, that isnt the case.
During his introductory remarks, the president proposed
a Social Security system in the future where benefits for
low-income workers will grow faster than benefits for people who are
better off. The Wall Street Journal on April 29, 2005, explained
how he would accomplish that goal: "Under his proposal to adjust
benefit levels, low-income workers would continue, as they do under
current law, to have their initial retirement benefits linked to the
growth of wages in the economy. But the wealthiest seniors would
have their initial benefits tied to price inflation, which generally
rises more slowly than wages."
Wages grow faster than inflation, so this means Bush is
advocating an increase in benefits for lower-income workers. The
fact that higher earners don't get the same increase doesn't
constitute a cut it just means their benefits will stay the same.
This proposed benefit arrangement is designed to help Social
Security's long-term solvency problem.
On ABCs World News Tonight April 28, 2005, Moran
took two clips out of context and used them to make it appear the
president was contradicting himself. In the first clip, the
president told retirees that his plan will not change their
benefits, which Moran called reassuring seniors. Then, in a voice
over in the second clip, Moran claimed the President was painting a
dire picture by warning of Social Securitys pending insolvency
during another publicity stop.
In a later segment, substitute anchor Elizabeth Vargas
asked former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos, And Terry just
said the president is looking to jump-start the debate and the talk
on these two issues. Can he succeed?
Stephanopoulos poured on the cynicism: I dont think
so. Not likely, Elizabeth. This will address the issues of
Republicans who said they want to see more details, a plan from the
president. And it will put more pressure on Democrats to come up
with a plan on their own. But, as Terry said, the Democrats are
united against this idea of private accounts And as long as its on
the table, I think youre gonna have a stalemate in the Congress.
CBS also handicapped the presidents chances on the
April 28 broadcast. John Roberts on the CBS Evening News led off
his report saying, President Bush has been trying to build a more
solid line to voters by holding press conferences every month of his
second term. But tonights request for prime-time coverage to a
massive audience is an indication that hes run into some serious
problems in communicating his agenda.
If the president has had a hard time reaching out to
the public, it could be because of slanted coverage like that. The
Business & Media Institutes latest special report, Biased
Accounts: Networks Guarantee Liberal View of Social Security,
discusses in detail how the media have crusaded against the
Presidents reforms.
