 |
         
|
The flacks at Consumer Reports had a good day, picking up free cross-promotional publicity for the publication's research on both CBS and ABC. In truth, neither story really belonged on a nightly newscast. ABC's Andrea Canning told us how toilet paper and peanut butter and other packaged goods are surreptitiously raising prices by shrinking their products; CBS' Michelle Miller compared diners' perceptions of the calories content of food with reality. Air both packages on the morning shows where they belong.
Steve Osunsami's contribution could not even be called News You Can Use--more like News Whose Odds of Applying to You are Vanishingly Microscopic. At odds of 176m-to-1, why would any of us need to consult, in advance, the advice of a financial planner in the event that our MegaMillions lottery ticket hit the $355m jackpot? So why did Osunsami on ABC take professional advice for the quandary: "Should you take the annuity or the much lower one time payment?" At least John Blackstone on CBS stipulated: "The odds against winning are as long as ever." Osunsami actually ended his report by encouraging us: "Play on!" At least NBC merely mentioned the drawing in passing. It would have been more responsible to have avoided such moneywasting foolishness altogether.
You must be logged in to this website to leave a comment. Please click here to log in so you can participate in the discussion.
