The July 23 Commercial Dispatch article, “Columbus, Starkville see sales tax gains in July,” illustrates why the way news is framed matters just as much as the numbers themselves.
The article presents Columbus as a city falling short while presenting Starkville as a city exceeding expectations. Columbus is described as being “on track to fall short” of its budget, while Starkville is described as “on track to exceed” its budget. That framing gives readers a negative impression of Columbus and a positive impression of Starkville before the full numbers are considered.
The numbers themselves tell a more positive story of Columbus’ economic strength.
In July, Columbus collected approximately $1.04 million in general sales-tax revenue, compared with approximately $903,000 for Starkville. Columbus’s collections increased 5.02 percent over July of the previous year, while Starkville’s increased 3.38 percent.
Year to date, Columbus’s general sales-tax collections were up 2.5 percent over the same period last year. Starkville’s were down 0.4 percent.
The difference is even more striking in restaurant-tax collections. Columbus’s year-to-date collections were up 10.56 percent, while Starkville’s increased 5.47 percent.
Those figures demonstrate stronger year-over-year growth in Columbus in several important categories. Yet the article makes Columbus’s projected budget shortfall the central narrative while presenting Starkville’s projected budget surplus as the primary measure of success. That choice of emphasis favors Starkville.
Columbus and Starkville are both important cities in the Golden Triangle, and both contribute significantly to the region’s economic strength and identity. Comparisons between the two should therefore be fair, balanced, and based on consistent standards.
The issue is not whether the numbers are accurate. The issue is whether the story gives readers a fair and complete picture of what those numbers mean.
Columbus should not be portrayed as economically underperforming simply because it set a more aggressive budget target. If the media is going to compare Columbus and Starkville, it should apply consistent standards and present the full range of relevant data.
The public deserves more than selective emphasis. It deserves the whole story. The transparent story is that the numbers do not support the negative narrative about Columbus that the article’s framing suggests.
Stephen T. Jones
Columbus Mayor
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
