Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
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The Washington Post is a huge fan of protectionism. That is what readers can conclude from the fact that it conceals the protectionist aspects of trade deals like the trade agreement between the United States and South Korea. Provisions increasing protection for U.S. patents and copyrights are an important part of this trade agreement. However, the Post has devoted almost no space to mentioning these provisions, which will raise costs for Korean consumers and slow growth there.
Instead, the Post constantly mischaracterizes the deal as a “free-trade” agreement (as opposed to a “trade agreement”) thereby wasting space and spreading inaccurate information.