portrayed as in deep crisis and moral decline
Abbott's sweeping description of national decline — 'stagnating', 'fragmenting', 'in peril', 'spiritual malaise' — is reported verbatim without data or counter-narratives, amplifying an alarmist, crisis-driven portrayal of society.
“Our economy is stagnating, our society is fragmenting, our security is in peril, and underneath it all there is a kind of spiritual malaise.”
