This is what passes for journalism?  Give me a break!  The title and story synopsis of this story published in the Britain-based Independent suggests a rise in U.S. food stamp usage means the nation is in the grip of a "depression."  The first paragraph uses the term "recession," and the last sentence of the "story" states that the unemployment rate is "up to perhaps 5 percent," a low number as far as unemployment is concerned.

There's no doubt that high gas prices and problems attendant within the financial sector have hindered the economy in some respects.  It may also be true that food stamps are being used more frequently, which is what the story is really about.  Instead of simply reporting on food stamps, the author and editors of The Independent chose to adorn the article with drama and shock value, including the picture of people standing in what is reminiscent of a breadline (I'm sure these lines are present even when the economy is firing on all cylinders).  If only this shoddy journalism were restricted to our friends across the pond!

It's no wonder people don't understand economics when a newspaper uses the terms "depression" and "recession" interchangeably in the same article.  And we don't even know for certain if we are actually in a recession.  A "recession" is defined as a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters.  If the first quarter of 2008 sees a decline in GDP, it would be a singular quarter of decline and wouldn't qualify as a recession.  If quarter number two also sees a decline, then we officially have a recession on our hands.  It's always been a pet peeve of mine when the term "recession" gets bantered about so loosely, particularly by politicians and journalists.  Folks, we have an official definition...use it!

The Independent could have written a fairly informative article on food stamp usage in the United States.  Perhaps they could have produced a chart to illustrate how food stamp use has fluctuated over the years, or compared usage in the United States with an equivalent benchmark in England or European nations.  They could have even done more to explain how the program works in more detail.  Instead, they decided to blur the line between "hard news" and "op-ed" in a manner that doesn't let facts get in the way of their agenda journalism and subjective measurements of economic health.