Emphasizing the Mirage, Downplaying the Reality
Recently almost all of the Irish media trumpeted the fact that a popular property website Daft.ie reported the average Irish rental to be in excess of €2,000 per month for the first time. A show-stopping, shocking revelation, a metric that chilled the bones of those subjected to the drumbeat of breathless media reporting and the positive glee of opposition politicians (for whom the metric was a stick with which to beat the current government).