Mind the negativity in headlines

I wouldn't suggest fiddling while Rome is burning, but I read an article recently in your business section of a local company posting that their pretax income was up 12 percent. Your headline for this really good news given the state of the economy? "Hewitt reports first-quarter results." Wow. Knock me over with the good news. Accurate? Yes. Now, when the next company posts double-digit losses, please headline it with "ABC company reports results," otherwise you'll have reinforced my opinion that although not to blame for the current economic mess, the media has done a superb job at hyping this recession. Americans need all the good news they can get right now. You folks are in the news business. Get balanced.

Jerry Lang

Algonquin