The economy as a tube of toothpaste
Chris Arnold
Chris Arnold of National Public Radio does a good balancing act in looking at the government’s role in pushing green jobs. The segment starts with a company that has rehired workers at a former Polaroid plant to make film – for solar panels instead of photographs — and moves into the debate about green jobs.
Today’s Tip: “The economy remains a big interconnected system,” as Chris reports. Remember to look at all sides in an economic story, acknowledging you may have an octagon instead of a square.
Think of the economy as a tube of toothpaste. If you squeeze in one place, it bulges somewhere else. One expert whom Chris quotes notes that creating more jobs in wind or solar energy may mean fewer jobs for coal miners.
NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” did a segment on balance versus bias in journalism in 2006. One of the points discussed is that the world “is not always a balanced place,” and it’s up to journalists to find underrepresented voices and report on unintended consequences.
