tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post6625025495255406039..comments2024-02-13T02:20:03.350-08:00Comments on Shale Gas Review: Reporting of shale gas story influenced by Internet trends PR, advocacy, fill niche as journalistic void grows TOM WILBERhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16103105549852845055noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-65146458074074921512013-06-24T23:53:53.310-07:002013-06-24T23:53:53.310-07:00Tom,
Great deal of patience I must say.You might ...Tom,<br /><br />Great deal of patience I must say.You might be having many sleepless nights to quote down such 'out of box' post.This blog seems to be written focusing on PR agencies I guess.<br />PR Agencies offers the most powerful public relations campaigns. Expert Public relations & media buying solutions brings out a permanent solution to your PR issues.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amgwagency.com/public-relations/services-pr/" rel="nofollow">pr firms miami</a> <br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10007315851951516214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-58472643454983713902013-05-16T12:54:22.099-07:002013-05-16T12:54:22.099-07:00Tom,
Thanks for your civil and measured response....Tom,<br /><br />Thanks for your civil and measured response. <br /><br />I get your point, Brad Gill's comments look like an understatement of the risks (I have not read his full testimony), but I think my point still stands that it is not the industry's position that "fracking fluid is harmless". I have read and heard many industry engineers and executives discuss the risks associated with fracking fluids. <br /><br />Democracy depends on free press, an educated public, and most of all, people listening to each other - thank you for listening and best of luck with your work.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Green Herring Green Herringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008926982934997760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-67710066270380138292013-05-16T06:43:31.953-07:002013-05-16T06:43:31.953-07:00Green,
Thanks for your comment. I’m an advocate f...Green,<br /><br />Thanks for your comment. I’m an advocate for free speech and open government. Like many in the working press, I tend to look at concentrations of wealth and power with skepticism – a watchdog function -- and I see the press as an agent of reform. This is a liberal tradition with the press since the days of Joseph Pulitzer. <br /><br />I’ve spelled out my position many times on this blog, I begin my talks with it, and you can find it for the record here. <br /><br />http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2012/04/under-surface-debuts-at-binghamton.html<br /><br />http://tomwilber.blogspot.com/2011/12/is-mainstream-press-anti-drilling-or.html<br /><br />There are many instances of the industry claiming that fracking fluids are harmless. As one example, see testimony of Brad Gill of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York to the New York State Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation Oct. 15, 2009 in which he characterizes fracking fluid as “small amount of dilute, benign additives” like “Canola Oil” and “those found in personal care products.” Generalities that I make on SGR – in the interest of sticking to a 500 to 1,500 word format per post -- are generally supported by research in my book, Under the Surface, which has a section of footnotes that details sources and citations. I cite links to sources often when they are available on line. <br /><br />Again, thanks for reading and for checking in on this important point of transparency, both with my reporting and the raw material I work with. <br /><br />TOM WILBERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16103105549852845055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-77002138228719064192013-05-16T05:50:56.680-07:002013-05-16T05:50:56.680-07:00Tom,
There are several logical and reporting erro...Tom,<br /><br />There are several logical and reporting errors with this piece. <br /><br />First of all, you spend much time establishing how the internet and "advocacy" journalism are a boon to free speech but it comes at a cost - integrity through fact checking and editorial review. Then you go on to present your own advocacy position without identifying or verifying your sources. You use conjecture and hyperbole without citing the facts behind your arguments suggesting that you are an advocacy journalist. Are you and advocacy journalist?<br /><br />I'll give you a couple of examples, <br /><br />You state, "The gas industry claims that drilling is not a public health threat, and that fracking fluid is harmless." I have never seen a statement by the gas industry or an individual gas company where they state that fracking fluid is harmless. I have heard them make many statements intended to downplay the risk of fracking and fracking fluid but I have never heard them say it is harmless. Without citation, your choice of hyperbole appears to be bias.<br /><br />Further you state, "For every case that gets unsealed, there are hundreds, if not thousands of cases sealed in documents that are never opened because their public relevance goes unchallenged.." I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you meant this sentence to communicate conjecture on your part, however, I suspect most of your readers will assume it is a verifiable truth statement. A journalist or their editor would have recognized that this statement (actually accusation) is unsubstantiated conjecture. Without citation of a documented study, It would have been accurate to state "there may be hundreds..." or to state, "given the number of wells already drilled and the current rate of leaks, it is easy to estimate there may be hundreds...".<br /><br />I read your blogs and I like your work - it is always well written and generally accurate, but you work in the realm of advocacy journalism - I just hope your readers understand this. <br /><br />Green HerringGreen Herringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008926982934997760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-82949012163495222432013-05-13T11:10:18.602-07:002013-05-13T11:10:18.602-07:00Tom, I would like to get in touch with you about a...Tom, I would like to get in touch with you about a speaking engagement related to the subject of this post. What is the best way to do that? Can you email me? So much great work you are doing! My email address: dbailin [at] ucsusa [dot] orgPost-Academic in DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02968438321488777852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-37496351492516025502013-05-13T08:39:16.004-07:002013-05-13T08:39:16.004-07:00Michael,
Thanks for the suggestion for PayPal. I ...Michael,<br /><br />Thanks for the suggestion for PayPal. I would be more inclined to go this route than negotiating the distracting complexities of advertising. The journalist in me is a little more experienced and adept than the business manager in me, so I have some more homework to do. I’m also working on another book proposal and will have to evaluate where SGR fits into the long-term picture. Regardless, I will have an online presence for some time to come, and it will necessarily have to evolve. A PayPal may work into a comprehensive plan to support my work. Will keep everybody posted. <br />TOM WILBERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16103105549852845055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-29732152399928720542013-05-13T08:20:07.250-07:002013-05-13T08:20:07.250-07:00Michael – Thanks for your many thoughtful comments...Michael – Thanks for your many thoughtful comments on this post (and for link to the timely and relevant On the Media show of 5/10/13<br /><br />www.onthemedia.org/<br /><br />Good question. An independent journalist, in my book, is one who is off the payroll of a news agency.<br /><br />You raise a good point about the source of funding and to what degree that may affect “independence” I can offer this very general thought. <br /><br />The nature of the advertising becomes very targeted as you break audiences into niches. Newspaper audiences were traditionally broad, reflecting diverse readerships defined mostly by geography. The bread and butter of newspaper ads were classifieds, real estate, supermarket and retail outlets. (Similar with broadcast) <br /><br />Because Internet readership depends on specific selection and searches, it lends itself (for better or worse) to special interest. When it comes to bee –keeping or crocheting or how to perfect a slide for little league, that’s pretty cool. When it comes to seeking out news that fits your world view, you start down the road of confirmation bias and the idea of eco chamber. <br /><br />Advertisers -- such as the local car dealer -- once dependent on newspapers now have the freedom to get more bang for their buck on line, as newspaper readership declines (with free content on line) and the utility of Internet improves. Car Dealers can now go directly to prospective buyers on their web sites, for example. <br /><br />It also becomes a question of how much advertisers reflect content versus influence content. Newspaper advertisers were never in a very strong position to influence content, nor did they have a strong motive to do this. (The breath and diversity of audience being just one of many reason) although their business would be mindful of demographic considerations as applied to a given advertising strategy. <br /><br />Of course audience demographics also come into play when you start talking about income from “prestigious” non-profits, NGOs, etc… Mags newspapers, TVs have always taken care to know the demographics of audience, but this has been more a case of selling advertising that would fit (cater to) demographics than appealing to opportunity for propaganda. (Supermarket chains are often owned by wealthy individuals, but their interests related to newspaper advertising was selling food, not influencing ideals.) <br /><br />This model does not hold up well – in fact it’s completely breaks down -- with all the variables introduced with free content/ special interests/revenue sources etc. of Internet. TOM WILBERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16103105549852845055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-59891897487320450412013-05-12T11:40:04.383-07:002013-05-12T11:40:04.383-07:00AdSense is a really bad idea. Besides potentially ...AdSense is a really bad idea. Besides potentially undermining Tom's credibility as an independent journalist, the income would be tiny.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521270461476316247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-35724243608994714172013-05-12T10:28:39.849-07:002013-05-12T10:28:39.849-07:00Tom: In the cases in which the PA DEP reported inc...Tom: In the cases in which the PA DEP reported incomplete test results to homeowners, do you know if any of the homeowners filed Right To Know requests with the PA DEP, and if so, what the outcome was? Mary Sweeneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878546420428414773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-35559479790454619002013-05-11T17:34:31.207-07:002013-05-11T17:34:31.207-07:00and I must add that Haliburton is a few feet down ...and I must add that Haliburton is a few feet down the road from me at a well site that is being "serviced" and my water today was just a tad bubbly...I think I can say that because this is a "new" development. Oh, did I call anyone? Now who would that be? GHOST BUSTERS?yokohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12920254541187319563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-85064630890728577672013-05-11T17:30:44.935-07:002013-05-11T17:30:44.935-07:00I am reeling from this blog. How do we get people ...I am reeling from this blog. How do we get people to care? How do we compete with the dazzle of the promise of gold? Tom, keep on writing. Hopefully, there are a few Susquehanna County folks that can read.yokohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12920254541187319563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-10961147196264781962013-05-11T14:22:11.500-07:002013-05-11T14:22:11.500-07:00Tom,
I much appreciate the quality of content and...Tom, <br />I much appreciate the quality of content and style that you give to us, your readers. And would like to be able to quickly and easily make the occasional financial contribution to your work. Would you please add a PayPal "donate" button to your site. Preferably at the top of the sidebar. Thanks. Keep up the stellar reporting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521270461476316247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949864949316311883.post-2759839497169761932013-05-11T11:48:44.167-07:002013-05-11T11:48:44.167-07:00Maybe it's true that you get what you pay for....Maybe it's true that you get what you pay for. <br /><br />Accurate information has always been an extremely valuable commodity, and in our highly complex and global society it is, if anything, even more important, particularly since more and more of our information seems to be in the form of PR pieces masquerading as news. <br /><br />So maybe the public should be willing to pay high enough subscription prices for their online and/or printed news to allow the media to function as reliable sources of detailed, carefully researched information. I guess it all comes down to priorities: does the public want to know what's going on, or does it just want to be entertained? <br /><br />If we stay in the dark, then we cannot have a functioning democracy--we cannot vote intelligently and responsibly if we don't have sufficient information. This applies not only to the fracking issue, but to all issues. Mary Sweeneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08878546420428414773noreply@blogger.com