Cooking The Books -- Not Just An Education Thing

Think that gaming the numbers is something that only happens in education or maybe crime?  Think again.  Last weekend's On The Media show on NPR included this segment (Cooking the Books).  In it, an economist explains how the government's economic measures (like unemployment) have, over time, been softened to make things look better than they really are.  The real unemployment rate, for example, is roughly double what the reported number is.  And the media goes along with it.  It's apparently called the Polyanna Effect.