IF it was manipulated for political purposes then that’s a big deal. But what was the overall impact from this one city? Absolutely none of that was quantified. But this article will now be referenced by tons of people on this site to “debunk” the economic data and “support” their opinion that the economy is in a depression. As absolutely stupid as that notion actually is...
--which basically boils down to business as usually because those opinions don't change anyway.
That said, I'm seeing a good side here. We want econ data to be controversial and we want everyone to know that everyone's watching everything. I personally take issue with what I see as political influence in how NBER sets econ cycle dates and how the BEA fudges real GDP. The more pundits poking their skeptical noses into this stuff the better.
mho.