Peering through the fence at the newspaper business in 2012. Canadian newspapers may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: Edmonton Journal editor in chief Lucinda Chodan. The newspaper industry was officially pronounced a dead man walking on Sunday, July 8, 2012. The declaration was made by no less an authority
Continue readingTag: New York Times
DeSmogBlog: Was Andrew Cuomo’s NY Fracking "Sacrifice Zone" Plan Hatched by NRDC?
shutterstock_15465343 (2).jpg Has New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just made the southern tier of the state a "sacrifice zone," as alleged by award-winning author and "fracktivist," Sandra Steingraber? Was it a plot hatched by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)? The signs pointing to both possibilities are troublesome, to say
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: A leaky paywall won’t keep the Globe and Mail afloat
Newspaper readers like these guys just don’t exist any more. Below: Globe and Mail Publisher Phillip Crawley, a typical Globe reader, who may not be exactly as illustrated. According to the publisher of Canada’s National Toronto Newspaper, the Globe and Mail will now try to make its readers to pay
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: New Bakken Shale Pipeline to Cushing, OK in the Works
shutterstock_79616923.jpg The controversy over TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline has raged on for years now, with no end in sight. The Keystone XL pipeline would carry tar sands crude from the tar sands epicenter of the world in Alberta, Canada, take it down to Cushing, OK, and then eventually down to Port Arthur, TX, where
Continue readingArt Threat: Some kind of monster – Film screening cancelled amid unsubstantiated copyright fears
Canadian filmmaker and activist John Greyson is no stranger to controversy — whether haranguing Justin Bieber to pull concerts scheduled for Israel, supporting queer film festivals in hostile environments, or scuffling with TIFF over the erasure of occupation in special programming, the prolific auteur has seen his share of messy
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Investors: No More Flaring of Fracked Oil and Gas in Bakken Shale
exxon-gas-flaring-photo01.jpg The debate over flaring unconventional oil and gas in shale basins across the United States has suddenly heated up immensely (excuse the bad pun). On March 27, the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economy (CERES) penned a letter calling for an end to the practice, writing, We are a group of 37
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Sierra Club Launches "Mr. Coal" Video Campaign to Mock Dirty Coal PR
The Sierra Club launched a funny new "Mr. Coal" video campaign this week in its ongoing 'Beyond Coal' effort to shut down coal plants throughout the United States. The campaign will feature a steady stream of satirical TV commercials mocking the coal industry's incessant and incredulous claims about job creation, "clean coal," and many
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Documents Reveal USDA Risking Lawsuits by Ignoring Own Staff On Fracking Mortgages Review
usda.png A major storm is brewing over the USDA’s sudden about-face on fracking and environmental laws. On Tuesday, the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture pulled a 180-degree U-turn and decided to reverse the call made by his staff specialists, who advised that the agency immediately stop giving special exemptions
Continue readingWill Globe & Mail’s first Public Editor (aka Ombudsman) make a difference? The question of Sylvia Stead.
Public Editors, or Ombudsmen as they are more often known, can be iffy things. Defined loosely as “one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints”, the role can be broadly defined. The New York Times is probably the best example of an effective Public Editor, where its ‘Ombudsman’ researches
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Demise of Keystone XL Means More Bakken Shale Gas Flaring
NA-Pipeline-Map-Theodora.png Damned if we do, damned if we don't – this is the CliffsNotes version of the ongoing Keystone XL pipeline debate. President Barack Obama recently halted TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project, which would bring tar sands crude, or dilluted bitumen ("dilbit") from Alberta, B.C. through the heart of the U.S., to
Continue readingWill Globe & Mail’s first Public Editor (aka Ombudsman) make a difference? The question of Sylvia Stead.
Public Editors, or Ombudsmen as they are more often known, can be iffy things. Defined loosely as “one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints”, the role can be broadly defined. The New York Times is probably the best example of an effective Public Editor, where its ‘Ombudsman’ researches
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Quote of the year: “We are the 99 per cent”
Fred Shapiro, associate librarian at Yale Law School has declared “We are the 99 per cent”, the political slogan of the Global Occupy movement, the heavy weight champ of the quotes for 2011. It’s another unavoidable …Read More
Continue readingWatching David Carr in Page One is like watching Minnie Mouse defend Belladonna
If I ever go into battle, please supply me with one (1) David Carr. Hunter S. Thompson might have been the penultimate literary motherfucker but David Carr pisses all over that cake.
Continue readingArt Threat: Networked Shock Art: Voina in the News – Analysis of political interventions of Russian art collective
For the last year Vorotnikov and Nikolaev have been waging a legal battle with Russian authorities for their freedom. While these challenges facing Voina have been well documented on Art Threat, Free Voina, and other alternative media sources, another battle is being fought: against state, art world, and dominant media
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, Exemplar of Political Corruption
Dan Boren.jpeg Today, The New York Times ran an investigative piece uncovering a thick, multi-layered corruption scene, honing in on one man: U.S. Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK). Boren, many will recall, is one of the original co-sponsors of H.R. 1380, the NAT GAS Act, also known as the Pickens Plan, which
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism? Florida IT Autism Prof Says: Hakuna Matata!
Dr. Ivy Chong, Florida Institute of Technology It seems to be impossible for anyone connected with the Mainstream Media, the MSM, to speak honestly and accurately about the natue of autism disorders. Even Dr. Ivy Chong of the Florida Institute of Technology whose cite lists her impressive autism resume feels
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Gas Industry Front Group Called Out By RFK Jr Attempts To Spin Facts Yet Again
frack.jpeg
The oil and gas industry has a long history of resisting public accountability and protective standards, and generally avoiding tough questions about its practices and attacking its cr…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Mainstream Media Fail to Cover Story on True Costs of Coal
coal-wall_0.jpeg
Yesterday, Media Matters reported in a story titled, "Media Ignore Study On Real Price Of Coal-Fired Power," that since the release of a ground-breaking repo…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Robert Bryce – The Media’s Industry-Funded Go-To Guy
Robert-Bryce-250×314.jpg
Robert Bryce, a fellow at the dirty industry-funded Manhattan Institute, is under increasing scrutiny as media outlets continue to use him as an “expert” on e…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Journalists Ask NYTimes To Set Disclosure of Conflicts Policy For Op-Ed Contributors
New-York-Times-Logo.png
Back in June, I wrote about my effort to seek answers from The New York Times public editor’s office regarding the paper’s lack of a policy for disclosure of p…
Continue reading