FOX's "correction" for yesterday's baldface lie about unemployment

[garybeck]

In case you missed it, this graphic explains what they did YESTERDAY:



NOTE, if you watch the actual video on Media Matters here: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/09/11/today-in-dishonest-fox-news-graphics/189831 you can see clearly that Doocy knew he was manipulating the data because he says the 14.7% includes people who are employed part time. This was NOT a mistake.

When asked, they said they would issue a correction. Here it is:

KILMEADE: Hey, I want to clarify a graphic we used on the show yesterday. We were comparing the real unemployment rate to when Obama took office -- President Obama took office. The real rate includes those working part-time because of economic reasons.

CARLSON: So the real unemployment rate now 14.7 percent. The percentage when the president took office in 2009, should have read 14.2 percent, not 7.8 percent.

No apology, no admitting the entire context of the discussion was off base. Just a "clarification."

youtube video:

[jmowreader]

1. Let me get this straight

If you work Monday - Wednesday at Walmart and Thursday - Sunday at Holiday Inn, and both jobs are 'part time,' Faux News says you're unemployed?

[garybeck]

2. well to be fair

it's not FOX that compiles the data. there are two different figures for unemployment. one includes part time workers who are looking for full time work. we can't blame FOX for that.... but we can definitely blame them for purposely mixing the two data sets to make Obama look bad. it's very obvious it wasn't a mistake because Doocy said in the first broadcast that the 2nd figure includes part time workers, but didn't mention that the first figure doesn't.

[pinqy]

3. The U3 versus U6

The official measure of unemployment is Unemployed (available and actively looking for work) as a percent of the Labor Force (Employed + Unemployed).

The U6 alternative measure of underutilization (it is NOT a measure of unemployment) is Unemployed plus Marginally Attached plus Part Time for Economic Reasons as a percent of the Labor Force plus Marginally Attached.

Marginally Attached are those who are willing and able to work, and have looked for work in the last 12 months but not the last 4 weeks

Part Time for Economic Reasons are those who are willing and able to work 35+ hours a week, but at the time of the survey worked less than 35 hours either due to slow business (the majority) or inability to find full time work.

So for your example IF the total hours of both jobs combined was under 35 hours/wk AND the reason was either that the person couldn't get 35+ hours OR one or both of the jobs cut her hours to put her under 35 THEN yes, Fox would call that person unemployed....unless a Republican was President.