The Washington Post told us "new-home sales up 3.3 percent" in a headline to an article on the release of April data on new home sales. The article itself pointed out that the April figure was only up measured against a downwardly revised March sales number and that sales remained near a 17-year low. The article accurately reflected the weak state of the housing market indicated by recent data. The headline may have given readers a different impression.
--Dean Baker
