July 23, 2023 | By Greg Fisher

“Little did we realize that in our private jest we were inaugurating a modern female priesthood — the veritable vestal virgins whom levitous writers cajole in vain,” he said, “and managing editors learn humbly to appease.” -- Time magazine quoting publisher Henry Luce

Time. Life. Fortune. Money. What perfect names for magazines. For more on that, read about Henry Luce.

This is a short tale of a long history of one piece of false information that will not go away: The myth that employers use credit scores. For more on that, read about Credit Score Myth 2. #Myth2

Money magazine's website heralds its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1972, Money is still around, but is now headquartered in Puerto Rico (sort of like Rome in Constantinople). For more on that, read about Money.

Anyway, Money pubished false information. Employers do not use credit scores, but Money said that they do.

First, in 2017, it falsely stated, "But credit scores are being used more and more to determine whether you can rent an apartment, get a utility hook-up without paying a hefty deposit, get a new job, get a college degree, or even get a date."

Second, last month, it falsely stated, "It's become standard for employers to use background check sites to investigate potential hires, uncover criminal records or even check your credit score."

And that is "even" in the first paragraph (for more, read the whole thing on that). In other words, it's a premise that scares the living daylights out of readers so they're compelled to read the article.

The offending sentence links to https://money.com/best-background-check-sites/?ref=/what-do-employers-look-for-in-a-background-check/ and https://money.com/how-to-check-your-credit-score/?ref=/what-do-employers-look-for-in-a-background-check/.

A disclaimer at the very top of the article's page states: "Many companies featured on Money advertise with us. Opinions are our own, but compensation and in-depth research may determine where and how companies appear. Learn more about how we make money."

Mike Ayers is the editor of Money.

Hello, Mr. Ayers. I'm not bothering with email because you're smart enough to find this without it. And, I sent you an alert in social media, anyway (you saw it, didn't you?). Take this test.

Jennifer Calfas wrote, "It’s clear that Biden is making workers’ issues a main tenant of his presidential run."

The word is tenet, not tenant.

Isn't this fascinating? Please reply today.

ps. No hard feelings. It's just that truth is a big deal, that's all.

Follow the activity of Item #2307F using that hashtag.