The Media Is Missing the Most Important Part of the VW Scandal

Courtesy of the New York Times, here's a bit of reporting that is emblematic of the way the press has covered the Volkswagen emissions-cheating scandal: Volkswagen said on Tuesday that the scandal would cut deeply into this year's profit. And the company's shares plunged again, ending the day 35 percent below the closing price on Friday, before news of the diesel deception broke. As a result, the company's stock market value has declined about €25 billion in two days of trading. The media have covered the VW story with great vigor, to my ear, more even than the GM ignition scandal that claimed more than 120 lives - the number that GM so acknowledges. But most of the VW coverage is about money, not health and not the environment, even though both are clearly in play.