You can change the meaning of just about anything with phrasing. Depending on the intended effect, the proper word choice can put a positive spin on something that really isn't that positive. Take the United States economy. Few would argue that the past few months haven't been trying economically. Earlier this year, politicians and journalists alike rattled off depressing facts about the housing market and the stock market. Companies are shutting down. People's houses are being foreclosed. Some economists predict that the recovery may take a while, and the stimulus money that Congress fought over for so long seems nowhere to be found. Why is it that news that US new jobless claims fell to 545,000 this past week is so exciting? In case the politicians and pundits didn't get it, we're still losing jobs, and for every person who's unemployed, there's probably someone who's underemployed. I guess they never stopped to think that with each passing week, there are less jobs to lose. Of course the jobless claims are going down. That's like saying, "We're getting worse at a slower rate!" By emphasizing that the new jobless claims "fell" and going on and on about how wonderful that is, pundits and federal officials have been able to make the fact that people are still losing their jobs and receiving unemployment something to celebrate.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090917/bs_afp/useconomyunemployment_20090917140130
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