Conclusion of 44-year-old California resident: Recession

Hal Morris, writing on his Grumpy Editor blog, wonders why an Associated Press story about the nation’s economy has a 44-year-old woman from a small California town being the one to claim that we’re in a recession.

Morris wrote, “In an Associated Press story released Sunday with a lead touching on empty homes and for-sale signs, lost jobs and nest eggs taking a hit, a Washington-based economics writer’s second paragraph asked:  Could the country be in a recession?

Three paragraphs down, came the answer via the first person quoted:  “Absolutely, we’re in a recession.�

Was that conclusion reached by (select one):

A — An economics professor from Harvard.

B — An executive with a Wall Street investment firm.

C — A hedge fund manager.

D — A spokesman for Fed chairman Ben Bernanke.

E — None of the above.

Answer:  E.

“The definitive word came from Hilda Sanchez of Waterford, Calif., population 9,000, in California’s central valley, 2,283 miles from Washington, D.C.  There was no further identification of the woman other than her age, 44.”

Read more here.