Comparing Headlines About the Market

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How does the media describe the recent stock market decline? Let’s compare a few headlines:

  • Dow falls 1,191 points -- the most in history (CNN)

  • Coronavirus Drives Stocks Down for 6th Day and Into Correction (New York Times)

  • U.S. Stocks Slide Into a Correction as Virus Fears Show No Sign of Easing (Wall Street Journal)

  • Dow's point drop worst on record as stocks fall into correction (Fox News)

  • Dow drops 1190 points amid coronavirus fears, S&P 500 sees fastest correction in history (Yahoo Finance)

Of the five, Fox is the only one that didn’t place a headline about the market at the top of its web page.

Discussion:

  • What do you make of these headline choices, including placement? What might the wording indicate about the media group’s beliefs or audience?

  • In class after a previous decline, I took issue with headlines like CNN’s. Do you see an issue? (Hint: What does a raw number tell us?)