April 26, 2024
I have been complaining for years about the media’s coverage of the economy under Biden, but this NPR piece deserves a Pulitzer for awful reporting. It tells us that most students are unaware of the measures President Biden has put in place to reduce the debt burden faced by former students.
At one point it tells listeners:
“NADWORNY: Well, they’re not giving up on this issue [student debt relief], which is kind of amazing to hear, you know, after that tape from Elena.”
Actually, it is totally amazing that a serious news outlet would be surprised that the Biden administration is trying to tell people about programs that would benefit them. NPR apparently does not know about the most important program that would benefit almost all borrowers who are seriously burdened by debt.
President Biden made the already existing income-driven repayment plan far more generous. Under the new structure he put in place, a single individual who earned less than $32,000 a year would pay zero towards their student debt. If they earned $40,000 a year, they would pay $60 a month.
While it is astounding that NPR could do a major piece on the burden of student debt without mentioning Biden’s income-driven repayment plan, it has good company in doing awful reporting on this issue. In the last year, the New York Times has done two major pieces on student debt and college costs without ever mentioning the income-driven repayment plan.
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