http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-04-22/college-grads-jobless/54473426/1
Half of new graduates are jobless or underemployed
Great...good thing I'm graduating next year.
The story is from the AP and it was an interesting read. The story is based on analysis of government data conducted for the Associated press.
The story begins with a strong and clear lede stating that half the of college graduates are underemployed or in positions that don't use their degree. The nutgrat further explains that college graduates are scraping by with lower-wage jobs and gives a few occupational examples.
Then, the author sources the information, although it does not tell your WHO did the analysis!
"An analysis of government data conducted for the Associated Press lays bare the highly uneven prospects for holders of bachelor's degrees."
The source of the analysis isn't given until the 11th paragraph!! The story already seemed a little sensational, but then not to source the information further up in the story really put me off. Although, if anything it discredited the information (which is not such a bad thing in my opinion for this college undergraduate since I'm, well, graduating soon).
The story the highlights college graduates who are not working in their field. Then, the author gives a few statistics and degrees with the least likely employment opportunities. Then, the story ends with a quote from a college student talking about how everyone always tells you to go to college, but once you graduate there aren't any opportunities.
This story bothered me, I couldn't get past the sourcing. It seemed half-assed in attribution. Also, the story really doesn't explain the details of how the numbers were gathered, it simply says a "government data" until in the 11th paragraph the author in regards to the people who conducted the study: "They rely on Labor Department assessments." What?! Seriously. I was so confused to why the source was so buried. Making a claim like that is pretty substantial, but this story failed in convincing me that the analysis was justified.
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