It rarely occurs to them that companies may have to increase prices, lay off workers, or reduce salaries and benefits in order to comply with regulations and mandates. A recent example is the debate over increasing the minimum wage. During the first four months of 1996, there were 60 sources interviewed for soundbites by the networks. Some reporters simply accepted the Democrats' logic at face value. Federal spending and the budget.
Reporters seem to favor budget discipline when the issue is cutting taxes.
But when spending programs are threatened, anecdotes abound outlining who will allegedly be harmed by fiscal restraint. Only four stories focused on the benefits of a more limited government. Part of the Fallows-Dionne misunderstanding may be in defining economic conservatism. For some reporters the definition is broad enough to include the architect of the Clinton health plan.