Letter: Headlines can steer interpretation
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The June 3 Columbian Business Section had a story entitled: "Three-fourths of the nation's income is earned by whites." In reading the story, yes, the title is accurate, but it is a small part of the story, and not the true message of the story.
Reporter Carol Morello of The Washington Post clearly disparages the income differences of America's races as if to suggest that a race's population percentage should be equal to that race's income percentage. Since the white population is 64 percent of our total population, whites pulling in 76 percent is not fair.
The author does finish her story by reeling off why and how the top income earners achieve what they achieve: higher education levels, advanced degrees in science and technical fields, fewer degrees in social sciences and humanities and a higher percentage of married households. Somewhere in this story is a recipe for income success (sarcasm).
It would've been nice if the title could have led readers to seek that message. But then, it depends on what you want the message to be.
Bill Pritchard
Brush Prairie
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