The last time we addressed this issue the report was based on analyst estimates. Now it’s based on official Census figures which confirm what analysts had projected: One in Seven Americans lived in poverty last year — the highest level in a half-century.

WASHINGTON — The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama’s first year in office.

The Associated Press quotes one (1) analyst who says it’s only the massive federal spending that keeps the problem from getting worse, but apparently the wire service couldn’t find a dissenting voice or even a second analyst who takes any position.

A 16-paragraph story, several of them touting government policies, plenty of opinions from the reporter displayed, and one (1) analyst on the record. Good reporting job.

Worst figure: Nearly 21% of American children now live in poverty.