By Dave Lindorff
The propagandists in the corporate media are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to paint a rosy picture using the shockingly bad employment news out of the Labor Department today.
Here's the raw data:
The official unemployment rate fell from 9.4% to 9.0%, when the prediction had been that it was going to move up slightly to 9.5%
The number of new jobs added was a net 36,000, the lowest increase since last September, when the economy was still losing jobs.
Here are some of the media quotes:
Associated Press: "The unemployment rate dropped sharply last month to 9 percent, based on a government survey that found that more than a half-million people found work."
MSNBC: "The U.S. labor market slowed sharply last month, generating just 36,000 net new jobs, the fewest in four months, as winter storms depressed payrolls growth. Still, the unemployment rate dropp ed sharply to 9 percent, the lowest level in nearly two years."
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