Misleading Report from NPR
I’m a frequent listener to NPR, and I count on it for much of my news, as do many people in our area. My local station is WSKG.
So I was shocked to hear a report this morning that was so egregiously misleading, that I had to write in to NPR as well as WSKG. I suggest you do, too. The more response we get on this, the better.
This is what I sent to NPR as a correction to it’s report on “Morning Edition” and as a comment to WSKG this morning:
We’ve just been stabbed in the back by, of all sources, National Public Radio. On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at about 6:30 in the morning (EST), a host of “Morning Edition” aired a report that was so biased in favor of the natural gas industry and it’s drilling in the Marcellus Shale, that it might have have been a paid advertisement.
(As soon as NPR puts it online, you should be able to listen to it at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113043935 )
One glaring error was the statement by the reporter that what is used to fracture the shale deep underground is “water.” According to endocrinologist Dr. Theo Colburn, “215 or more products are used to drill the wells, fracture the rock, and process the gas. These products contain at least 278 chemicals, of which 93 percent are known to have adverse health effects.” ( http://www.tiogagaslease.org/images/BVW_02_06_09.pdf )
Calling the poisonous fluid used to fracture shale “water” is like calling a drill rig a “Christmas tree.” (Hey, wait – the industry actually does that!)
When the liars in the industry start drinking the stuff, I’ll start calling it water.
Another misleading aspect of the report was that it mentioned that environmentalist are championing gas as favorable to coal. The truth is that some environmentalists have caved in to the hype that gas is a “bridge” solution to our energy needs. Real environmentalists, though, are actually more concerned with the environment than what is at best a band-aid solution for a critical injury.
It’s unfathomable that NPR and “Morning Edition” just swallowed the industry propaganda hook, line and sinker, without checking facts. I hope we see a critical look at this in one of your more accurate programs, “On the Media.”
I strongly suggest that you review the remaining segments of your presentation on natural gas before you air them.
Disclaimer: I live in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region, and stand to make some money if I capitulate to the industry land men who are promising “free money” to local landowners. But, like many responsible local residents, I will not collaborate with this not-ready-for-prime-time scheme.
Brian Foley
Otego, NY
http://otegony.com
To submit your comment to WSKG go to http://www.wskg.org/forms/comment-line.aspx (at the time of this writing that page is having technical problems) or call them to submit your comment at (607) 729-0200.
If you live in the Southern Tier or Leatherstocking area of NY State, it’s probably more effective to call or write your local station (like WSKG above) than to contact NPR directly. Of course, it couldn’t hurt to do both:
Here is the link for the show
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113043935
Here is the link to contact them
help.npr.org/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5670&task=ticket
How do I contact NPR?
E-mail via the Contact Form.
Phone Numbers:
Listener Services: (202) 513-3232
(Hours: 10am to 5pm ET, Monday through Friday)
NPR Staff Directory: (202) 513-2000
Corporate Sponsorship: (202) 513 -2093
NPR Foundation: (202) 513-2073
Main Fax: (202) 513-3329
Mailing Address:
NPR
635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 2000
One response so far
I’ll be calling/writing them to request the other side of the story.