When it comes to improving public understanding of tax policy, nothing has been more troubling than the deeply flawed coverage of the Wisconsin state employees' fight over collective bargaining. Economic nonsense is being reported as fact in most of the news reports on the Wisconsin dispute, the product of a breakdown of skepticism among journalists multiplied by their lack of understanding of basic economic principles.

On a prank call that quickly spread across the internet, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was duped into discussing his strategy to cripple public employee unions, promising never to give in and joking that he would use a baseball bat in his office to go after political opponents. Believing the caller was conservative billionaire David Koch, Walker revealed that his supporters had considered secretly planting people in pro-union protest crowds to stir up trouble.

Ppublic interest advocates presented oral arguments today before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a case challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s 2007 decision to lift the 35-year-old ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership. The FCC action came despite overwhelming public opposition from across the country and the political spectrum and in spite of evidence that more media competition – not more media concentration – will provide Americans with the local news and information they need and want.