What is bad journalism? How often does the untrue get reported as facts?

Learn about it, read what the press write about it, and frighten yourself.

Recently I came across an article in Maclean's magazine which reads " The shocking truth about the value of your home. "

http://blog.macleans.ca/2009/02/23/the-shocking-truth-about-the-value-of-your-home/

I am not from Vancouver, but is it another one of those write ups with a sensationalist spin that hypes the story, leaving the reader confused, misled, worried that the end of the world is near? For an uninitiated reader who might not dig below the surface of the article, how does one measure the limits of accuracy and exageration?

The last part of the article where it says "But new data on the plunging housing market suggests that those relatively upbeat assessments are wrong, and Canada could see a 20 per cent drop in average house prices between now and late 2011. If sophisticated investors are correct, it might be close to a decade before we once again see prices as high as they were last summer." What data are they referring to exactly quoting the future 20% drop? And who are the "sophisticated investors"- the specuvestors who are buying and flipping?

Working in the Toronto buyer's market, before I can't draw conclusions about what direction the market is heading or whether this story is a foreshadow for Torontonians. I evaluate the market based on supply/ demand, demographics that continue to spark the need for certain housing types in a particular price bracket, lending policies, interest rates and local employment statistics, and performance of local neighbourhoods.

Reading up a bit more on Mr Kassam from this story from more objective sources and the Globe and Mail, it turned out that he is a speculator investor who owns 4 other properties. Mr Kassam may represent a larger demographic Perhaps we can learn something from him.

Here is a objective write-up on the same story in the Globe and Mail.