Government-Media Newspeak Synonym for 'Stimulus': 'Growth'

Here's an indication of just how discredited the word "stimulus" is becoming: European leaders today agreed on a $163 "growth package" of some kind. The leaders were apparently very reluctant to describe it.

At a Los Angeles Times blog this morning, Sarah Delaney's coverage mostly bought into what appears to be a charade, but the headline writer at the paper's home page didn't get the memo.




Delaney's only "slip-up" in using "stimulus" instead of "growth" served the convenient purpose of making Angela Merkel look bad, but in the process gave away the new game (bolds are mine):

4 top European leaders back $163-billion growth package






In other words, if we're to believe what Ms. Delaney has written (a big if), Merkel has caved on opening the government spending spigots.

In the process, we've also seen two confirmations (in the front-page headline and Delaney's text) that in establishment press Newspeak, "stimulus" is now a synonym for "growth."

Cross-posted at

Tom Blumer
Tom Blumer
Tom Blumer is a contributing editor for NewsBusters.