And by that I mean modern media fails at journalism.
So Russell Crow's idea is to give everyone in America, or 300 million people, one million dollars each at a cost of 300 million(sic) dollars, or less than the 700 billion dollars proposed for the Wallstreet bailout. Now obviously he didn't mean 300 million dollars because that'd be one dollar to every person and it was a live interview so give the guy a break. He showed his working so use your head.
However the media seems to have focused on how 300 million times one million equals 300 trillion and is thus greater than the 700 billion bailout.
The problem I have is that if the media had put any sort of thought into it they'd have realised that he probably got confused by the difference between the definition of a billion in the short and long scale number definitions. Which in the long scale one million or 1x10^6 multiplied by 300 million or 300x10^6 actually equals 300 billion or 300x10^12.
Yes 300x10^12 is however greater than the 700x10^9 dollars proposed for the bail out but in his defense less than the 700x10^12 Crow thought it was going to cost.
Though it is entirely possible he's doesn't have a clue when it comes to money as evidenced by the financial problems of the South Sydney football side earlier this year.