Change at DoL

Maybe not hope, but change.  The Department of Labor is changing how it does "Lockups" before it officially releases employment numbers.  The link to the story, provided by The Instapundit can be found here.

This is the lede:

Unrest is simmering in some quarters of the Washington news universe regarding changes in the way the Department of Labor (DOL) manages its pre-release media “lockups” on sensitive data like weekly jobless benefits and unemployment.

For years, journalists participating in the lockups have shown up at DOL at the appointed time, then entered a limited-access area to receive the new data and prepare news stories for release as soon as official embargoes end.

The system insures that major news organizations get the data as soon as possible and allows journalists covering the release get a jump on providing analyses and opinion about the data.

But Carl Fillichio, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ top communications advisor, circulated a memo earlier this week to interested media informing them that everybody is being required to re-submit their credentials requests.

Plus some.  I note in passing that each paragraph in the block quote is one sentence long.  Does that seem strange to anyone else?

I liked this para in the story in The Washington Examiner:

The BLS has a spotless record of maintaining data integrity and insulation from political pressures to manipulate data content or release timing. Solis and Fillichio are said to be quietly resisting efforts in Congress to shift control of the lockups to BLS.

Yes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a professional organization.

Regards  —  Cliff