Sunday, August 26, 2012

When Newspapers Mislead Readers with Sort-Of True Titles on Fracking Articles....

If you are interested in the topic of fracking, and you probably are if you are reading this, make sure you read articles all the way through. Do not judge the information by the title, and make sure, also, to go back to the original source whenever possible. I try to always provide my original sources here to make it easy for you to confirm my information, but many sites do not offer that service so some research might be required on your part - if you want to know the truth about fracking.

Now, for the inspiration for this post:

I just finished checking out a slightly older Morrow County Sentinel article with the slightly misleading title: Fracking in Morrow County not likely. (I hate it when newspapers don't capitalize titles.)

I read the article, and while the article fits the title by describing the fact that Morrow County will probably not see an influx of cash from drillers, it is misleading (accidentally so I am sure)  in that many people do not read the content - they just peruse the headlines - giving the impression that residents do not have to fear fracking brine contamination.

The article leaves out the fact that the locals in this agricultural community do face exposure through fracking brine dumping. That's right, the drillers can't get natural gas here so they are already using the county as a sort of toxic septic system and have been for some time.

Like I said, I'm just using this particular article as an example to prove my point. I want to be perfectly clear in that I feel the article mentioned is accurate about Morrow County nor seeing much money from this boom, I just think the title will give mildly interested readers who skim titles and go on a false sense of security, and I feel this is pretty common in the news industry, especially with fracking as the topic.

What Do You Have in Common with Robert DeNiro, Hugh Jackman, Paul McCartney, and Julianne Moore

If you're are against fracking, you share an interest in the environmentally unsafe practice of fracking according to the new website, Artists Against Fracking. (By the way, that is just a short list of artists who are against this dangerous practice.)

While the Artists Against Fracking website is currently addressing New York's issues, it is still kind of interesting to check out the names of the artists who have become aware of this issue and who have chosen to stand on the side of the environment and the people whose lives are affected by the negative impacts of fracking.