Where’s the media?

Just another quick blog on this issue of average family income. Statistics Canada writes a 180 page report on the subject comparing average family income over the past ten years, adjusting it for inflation and segmenting by type of family. Some of the interesting findings include:

  • Married couples with one earner have seen their average family income drop by $4,000 from 1994 to 2003 – don’t forget these figures are in 2003 dollars. It’s getting really tough to make a one income family work in New Brunswick. By the way, this same figure in Nova Scotia is up $11,000. Guess it’s easier to make a one income family work there.
  • Married couples with no-earners have seen the biggest increase in average family income – almost $7,000 increase in 2003 dollars (from 1994-2003).
  • The average family income of lone parent female families has gone up slightly over the ten year period.

Now, excuse me but why isn’t this a story? We get 20 stories on Brenda Fowlie’s alleged slur against Stuart Jamison an nothing on something that has major impacts on each of our lives. Doesn’t the public deserve to know where New Brunswick stacks up compared to other provinces on something so vital as average incomes?

There are only two possibilities. 1) the media is lazy and won’t do a little leg work to build out this story; or 2) they have done the leg work but don’t think the public would be interested.

Does the Times & Transcript have any ‘reporters’ or just press release transcribers?

Anyway, if you want to peruse this study, go to this Stats Can link:

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050512/td050512.htm