Every organization has boilerplate wording that describes its work in glowing terms.Our boilerplate tells people that CEPR' purpose is: "to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives." I have never once heard CEPR described this way. (As a co-founder, I would argue that the this boilerplate description is accurate.) That's fine, but why does the Concord Coalition get described by NPR as an organization that exists to promote "fiscal responsibility." Does this imply that the rest of us are trying to promote fiscal irresponsibility? It is possible to use neutral wording to describe the Concord Coalition. It can simply be described an organization that focuses on budget issues. Whether or not their focus amounts to "fiscal responsibility" is something that listeners should determine, not reporters.
--Dean Baker