CNN takes pessimistic approach to US economy adding 1.8 million jobs in July amid pandemic
Network said “hiring picks up steam” when 244,000 new jobs were added under Obama
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The U.S. economy added 1.8 million jobs in July despite a wave of new coronavirus cases forcing most states to pause or reverse their reopenings – but CNN appeared determined to put a negative spin on the news.
The payroll increase reported Friday by the Labor Department was well below the whopping 4.8 million jobs created in June, the highest ever recorded. As July fell short of June’s record-setting growth, CNN took a pessimistic approach to the news.
US EMPLOYERS HIRE 1.8 MILLOON DESPITE NEW COVID-19 SHUTDOWNS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN’s website featured the headline, “US jobs recovery takes a massive hit and is still down nearly 13 million jobs.” By comparison, The New York Times’ homepage featured the headline, “Despite virus surge, U.S. added jobs in July, but at slower pace.”
On air, CNN pundits and anchors took a similar tone. “As we look at this, a little but better than expected but ... what should the real takeaway be?” anchor Erica Hill asked.
"A resumption of activity in July, in the beginning of July, meant some of these people [were] going back to work," CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans said. "This is a rear-view mirror picture, though, so as you saw the hot spots worsening in the end of July in the South, did that spill into some more layoffs, a second wave of layoffs for early August?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We just don’t know quite yet, 10.2 percent unemployment is still worse than the Great Recession, but improving a little bit here," Romans went on. "And for Black Americans, that unemployment rate [is] 14.6 percent, so you’re still seeing that racial disparity in these numbers that are so troubling.”
"Obviously adding jobs is better than losing jobs, but the previous month there were more than four million jobs added,” said "New Day" anchor John Berman, referring to the record-setting June report.
“So this is actually a dramatic slowdown in job creation,” Berman said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN SKIPS TRUMP REMARKS AMID POSITIVE JUNE JOBS REPORT
“The recovery is slowing,” CNN’s Julia Chatterley responded.
CNN didn’t seem to think 1.8 million new jobs were particularly overwhelming, but Trump campaign deputy director of communications Zach Parkinson noticed things were quite different in 2011 under President Obama.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parkinson tweeted a screengrab of a CNN story, which has been confirmed to be authentic by Fox News, showing that 244,000 new jobs were labeled as a great success.
“The jobs recovery picked up speed in April, as business payrolls swelled and the unemployment rate rose as more people returned to the workforce. The economy added 244,000 jobs in the month, the Labor Department reported,” CNN reported nine years ago with the headline, “April jobs report: Hiring picks up steam.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last month, CNN didn’t bother to carry Trump remarks about the June jobs report.
“Airing a live announcement that was clearly going to provide good news on the economy doesn't fit with CNN's predisposition that the economy is in decline,” DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall told Fox News at the time.
Fox Business Network’s Megan Henney contributed to this report.