Home > Influence > Media > Conglomerates > American Public Media > Public radio bad reporting on S.1837 (2013-2014)
| By Greg Fisher
Employers do not use credit scores. There is an broad distinction between a single number derived from a secret formula and a subset of a citizen's consumer file represented by a credit report.
However, radio station operator American Public Media states, "'What they are they trying to do is filter, so they are using a credit score to determine if you're someone who is a risky hire,' Carmen Wong Ulrich, a personal finance expert and host of Marketplace Money, says of the hiring practice."
The message below was re-posted by a person operating the account named Marketplace Money (@LiveMoney, a "Verified account") on the social media network Twitter. Its profile states that @CarmenSense "hosts @MarketplaceAPM personal finance show."
@CarmenSense thanks for citing @Demos_Org research on employment credit checks! Listeners who want more info can see: http://t.co/XKkksMeo4F
— Amy Traub (@AmyMTraub) January 22, 2014@Demos_Org, @AmyMTraub, @CarmenSense, @LiveMoney, @MarketplaceAPM and @DavidBrancaccio are members of a pathetic mutual admiration society.
@AmyMTraub @Demos_Org My pleasure. Eye-opening report. So important to know implications of leaning on a measure like this.
— Carmen Wong Ulrich (@CarmenSense) January 22, 2014@CarmenSense Glad to talk if you want to follow up. Lots of city/state laws in works to ban credit checks- b interesting to see deBlasio act
— Amy Traub (@AmyMTraub) January 22, 2014@AmyMTraub Let's keep chattin' - I'll DM you. Glad pressure is coming from several sides.
— Carmen Wong Ulrich (@CarmenSense) January 22, 2014It is the blind leading the blind.
In 2011, despite the fact that employers do not use credit scores, a representative of the organization Demos stated (indeed testified), "And it really just depends on the method through which the employer gets their credit scores."
The rest is history—actual, real American history.
Follower @AmyMTraub, your organization's account of American history is inaccurate. http://t.co/oXAKhFpjan #falsity #creditscore @Demos_Org
— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) December 23, 2013@creditscoring @Demos_Org correct that as far as we know employers do not check credit scores-- larger issue is checking credit reports
— Amy Traub (@AmyMTraub) December 23, 2013.@Demos_Org, I predict that you will change your statement about the U.S. #Senate. It is false. @AmyMTraub #falsity @CheatingCulture
— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) December 23, 2013In 2009, American Public Media (the producer of Marketplace) provided a snarky response regarding its mistaken notion: Literally, "None of your business."
In 2011, asked if employment recruiters get credit scores, today's Morning Report host (then a correspondent) said, "Not your score, but they can see a lot about you, looking at the report."
Apparently, he forgot all about that.
Job hunting? How's your #credit score? Employers care about blips in your credit history, but not how they got there: http://t.co/dQ7l2g2zMY
— Marketplace Money (@LiveMoney) January 22, 2014Great piece w/ @CarmenSense on @MarketplaceAPM on how job-seekers are unfairly denied jobs b/c of marred credit http://t.co/Nw5bqKMcEJ
— Stop Credit Checks (@endcreditchecks) January 23, 2014"1234 I am not my credit score. 5678 credit checks discriminate!" #stopcreditchecks in employment now! pic.twitter.com/APKxB7sd
— Stop Credit Checks (@endcreditchecks) February 6, 2013.@bradlander Five, six, seven, eight. Reply to this. Don't make me wait. http://t.co/Gl8zPwG5kq Employers don't use credit scores.
— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) April 24, 2013