Reply #18: While I agree with what you said,

[Pharlo]

I think you need to include the fact that until the stock markets plunged, most of the 250k plus/per annum corporate shills (including television media, and their selected 'panels of economists' from Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, etc) were making money. As long as it did NOT affect them, everything was good. The minute they started seeing THEIR money disappear, it became a 'recession'.

I honestly believe many of the media 'journalists' were not involved in a conspiracy so much as they were sequestered in an elite bubble where 'slight' price increases didn't hit them. Whereas, the collapse of hedge funds and the stock markets brought it slamming home.

As for media executives who controlled the 'message', yeah, I think it's possible they were complicit in trying to ride out the Bush presidency before acknowledging the economic tsunami that was inevitable.