We noted here on June 3 that a USA Today column by former Secretary of States James Baker was missing some important disclosure.
Baker argued that the United States needs to encourage more domestic oil drilling. Baker championed efforts by Shell to drill in Alaska, which have been stymied by government bureaucrats.
As FAIR noted, Baker’s Rice University institute receives funding from an array of energy companies, including Shell– which also funds the institute’s lecture series. It would be normal for a newspaper to mention this to readers, but USA Today did not.
After receiving a letter from FAIR, the paper issued this correction yesterday (which is hard to find on their website):
USA TODAY
June 8, 2011 Wednesday
FINAL EDITION
Corrections & ClarificationsSECTION: NEWS; Pg. 10A
A June 1 Forum column by former secretary of State James Baker on Alaska energy exploration should have noted that Baker has links to Shell Oil Co., which is mentioned in the piece. The James A. Baker III Center at Rice University receives funding from Shell, and the company also sponsors a lecture series for Baker’s institute.
i think it’s great that you wrote to usa today and they made a little correction.
however, when i think of james baker there are LOTS of companies and events which come to my mind, and i’m sure that even those are still only a fraction of all his links, services, and experience.
so , underneath this article, you have the tags… james baker, shell…. and “permalink” and “trackback” right there.
the words caught my eye since, well, i believe that james baker is kind of tag and permanent link to…. a lot of stuff!
and, if you “trackback”, isn’t shell just one little part of what baker represents?
how could usa today ever have acknowleged it all?
we should all expect, of course, for james baker, former secretary of state and everything, to want more drilling for america, in america, by america. that’s the drill!
if we trackback at all that baker’s done FOR america, we find many permanent links.
some were shell (oil) companies, some were not. like.. the 2000 election “count” in florida.. was that for (shell) oil’s sake ?
i don’t know.
so it must be hard to completely identify the guests and other guys that the media gives coverage to or for.
they have so many positions and permalinks which track way back like 30,40, even 50 years now.
and they’re all important, and they are all still relevant and interesting… to the story!
usa today (the newspaper ) was very very good to make even a little correction.
now,if usa today(the country)! could somehow get a grip for even a little correction!
who as important and permalinked as james baker could FINALLY speak out and encourage
some other things we really really need domestically:
like… exploration and drilling !
in alaska, in florida, in wisconsin, in washington dc..
FOR TRUTH! and corrections.
that’d be good.
Drill baby drill=evertbody wins
michael e: Everybody? Like the fatalities on the Deep Water Horizon? Like the Gulf Fishermen, Like
the Alaska fishermen after Exxon Valdez? Fossil fuels are the wave of the past. America is already
being left far behind in renewable energy technology by the EU and Our greatest 21st century rival,
China. Time to jump off the Luddite Fossil Fuel Bandwagon, Mike. Renewable Energy is to the Internet as Fossil Fuels is to the Crank Telephone. American Ingenuity can do it! Drill baby Drill isn’t
just stupid, it’s Un-American.