Coal and media bias
I was looking for a good news article to link about the failure of the Taylorville Tenaska coal plant. I couldn't find even one that mentions opposition on environmental grounds or that it will be a major new source of global warming pollution. Most articles use the industry propaganda term "clean coal" without any qualifier.
I didn't think I could be more cynical about the for-profit press after its massive failure to watch-dog the Bush administration during the lead up to the Iraq War. But working on coal issues provides constant reminders of the industry's influence over the press. I can't blame the bias of individual reporters since the ones I speak with generally do a good job. It's an institutional problem.
It would be too easy to name central Illinois news outlets that act as cheerleaders for coal projects like FutureGen or the Tenaska plant. Rather than pick on them, I'm posting a great video my friend Patty sent me that criticizes CNN.
I can't help but wonder, if CNN is so obviously influenced, then what can we expect from news outlets like NBC that are owned by the fossil fuel industry?