The documentary Gasland was up for an Academy Award last night. Director Josh Fox has been writing about the gas industry’s campaign against the film, which is a critical look at hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” That controversy found its way to the Wall Street Journal on Friday, where a story byBenCasselman was posted that included an interesting admission.
As Press Action noted:
In the original version of the article, Casselman, who has covered the energy industry at the Journal for several years, quoted Range Resources-Appalachia director of public affairs Matt Pitzarella as saying: “We have to stop blaming documentaries and take a look in the mirror.”
Obviously, “we need to look in the mirror” is not the message the industry means to send about the film. And that might explain why the quote disappeared–to be replaced, ironically enough, by an industry spokesperson declaring that they “don’t want to get drowned out… We need to be able to respond objectively and accurately.” Yes, let’s hope the energy industry gets a chance to be heard!
So what happened? Press Action got a response, though not one that helps explain what happened:
Press Action contacted Casselman on February 26 to find out if he knew why the Range Resources spokesman’s quote was removed from his article. In an e-mail response, Casselman wrote: “As a matter of policy, the Journal doesn’t discuss its editorial decisions, so I can’t get into details. But stories are edited all the time between editions, for all sorts of reasons (space, clarity, etc.). So it’s not unusual for the early versions of a story to look different from the final version.”
Perhaps aWall Street Journal editorcouldprovide an answer?
hummmmm…watching the wsj do something to help cover for their corporate betters…
has quite a bit of dog-bites-man flavor to it, don’t cha thinK?
The gas industry (and their invisible minions) seem to be going to great lengths to kill the distribution of Gasland and shut Josh Fox up. It’s easy to understand when you think about how much is riding on this energy resource “bridge” to a greener future, assuming there is still a life-friendly functioning global ecosystem by the time they use up those numerously immense pockets of profit.
Just between the Koch brothers and T. Boone Pickens, their is enough wealth at stake to ensure a hostile environment for anyone even asking the right questions. In particular, Pickens need to be watched carefully. Strangely(?) his proposed mid-west wind-farm runs right smack over top of the largest natural underground fresh water supply in the US, the Ogallala Aquifer. He has managed to guarantee himself not only a large chunk of the alternative energy future, but may also end up controlling the largest chunk of clean water left in the US if fracking continues to expand as is planned. And this is one “monster in the closet” that is being kept as quiet as possible from the general public by any means possible. And in collusion with the government.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/node/207036
And still in the dying breaths of the oil industry, just today, environmental activist Tim DeChristopher, the young man who botched up the illegal BLM auctions in Utah back in 2008 was convicted by a jury of his psuedo-peers. A jury no less. That says volumes about how well the psy-cops do their job. The judge in the case disallowed all evidence that showed DeChristopher’s intent to pay for the leases, or evidence showing that the auctions were not following their own BLM rules, which would have prevented most of not all of the parcels to be auctioned at all. He faces up to 10 years.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/4/environmentalist_tim_dechristopher_found_guilty_of
Thanks for that information, J.
One line above jumped out at me..”The dying breaths of the oil industry”. Look my friendly tree huggers. Oil is now, and shall be for any foreseeable future- our lifeblood in this country. Luckily we have been blessed with an abundance of it , and any number of other energy resources .We must develop it now with out further government interference.Or you may be hugging a tree…for warmth in our colder environs.Or carving trees into wheels like on Fred Flintstones car ,and using foot power to move it.Or we can sit back and wait for all those new energy ideas to come on line that Obama promised.
but may also end up controlling the largest chunk of clean water left in the US if fracking continues to expand as is planned. And this is one “monster in the closet” that is being kept as quiet as possible from the general public by any means possible. And in collusion with the government.