Grumpy editor: Economic outlooks confuse readers

I’ve discovered a new blog recently called Grumpy Editor. One of his recent comments focused on the fact that stories about what the U.S. economy is going to do in 2007 have had different opinions.

Grumpy Editor wrote, “In the why-business-editors-reach-for-the-aspirins department (leading to befuddled readers): contrary outlooks for the coming year. “While a front page story by Mark Whitehouse in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported 60 economists in its latest economic forecasting survey ‘offered an optimistic outlook for 2007,’ Associated Press’s Martin Crutsinger, basing input from two economists, took the opposite view on the same day, pointing out the ‘slowdown that hit the U.S. economy will persist into 2007.’

“Continues the WSJ: ‘Most forecasters expect 2007 to be a good — not great — year for the economy.’

“Continues AP: ‘Many private analysts are forecasting the economy will perform at the slowest pace in five years.'”

Read more here.