Budget Day
Just a quick thought in anticipation of a flurry of budget reporting starting later today.
Could we please be spared reporting of $x billion for the military, $y billion for tax cuts and $z billion for the environment, only to read the fine print and see that the $x billion for the military is over 12 years and dependent on the results of some policy review, and the $y billion for tax cuts is over 5 years and is partly just the continuation of previously announced tax reductions, while the $z billion for the environment is over 4 years and half of it is money allocated in previous budgets which hasn't been spent yet?
Some rules:
1) How much per year?
2) For how many years?
3) How much is new money?
4) Is the money allocated for sure or conditionally?
Could we please be spared reporting of $x billion for the military, $y billion for tax cuts and $z billion for the environment, only to read the fine print and see that the $x billion for the military is over 12 years and dependent on the results of some policy review, and the $y billion for tax cuts is over 5 years and is partly just the continuation of previously announced tax reductions, while the $z billion for the environment is over 4 years and half of it is money allocated in previous budgets which hasn't been spent yet?
Some rules:
1) How much per year?
2) For how many years?
3) How much is new money?
4) Is the money allocated for sure or conditionally?
Labels: big number syndrome, budget, media failure
posted by Declan at
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
5 Comments:
Amen.
By
Andrew, at 11:14 AM
Hear, hear, Declan.
I can understand why the government highlights the big numbers, but would it really kill the journalists to spend the 2 minutes with a calculator and tell us what it means, rather than just cribbing the numbers off of the press releases?
Bah.
By
Jon Dursi, at 7:51 PM
Exactly.
By
Babbling Brooks, at 7:20 AM
Alas, it appears to be 'wait until next year' for some clear reporting on the budget by the newspaper crowd.
If anyone out there is holding their breath, I advise you not to.
By
Declan, at 2:30 PM
*whoosh*
Thanks, Declan - I was starting to turn blue there. :P
By
Babbling Brooks, at 5:35 PM
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