Corruption in The Mainstream Press - or How Big Oil carries the Day!

[truedelphi]

I just made my first diary over at Daily Kos.


The Truth and the Associated Press
by Carol Sterritt

In the mid 1990's a gas additive was being mandated for use in the fuels for California gasoline.

It was called "MTBE" and even various ecology-minded groups like the Sierra Club were among those pushing to legislate its use.

I began researching the story - happy at last to research a story that seemed to be "Win-Win." For the first time since Henry Ford switched the automobile to gasoline use, Corporate America was joining forces not only with scientists but also with the environmental movement for cleaner fuel.

Or so it seemed.

But on my first day of making calls, Chevron immediately began stonewalling me. They would not release any information. I began to have California Air Resources Board send me information on MTBE. It soon became evident that that the scientific evidence between the product's touted safety and its touted health benefits was contradictory at best and possibly erroneous at worst.

After six months, I had some very damning evidence against MTBE. I approached several large West coast papers. Including the Mercury News in San Jose and the San Francisco Chronicle.

My press release stated that I had ample research on what was promising to be the largest story of the decade in terms of public policy affecting human health and water quality.

Initially several newspapers responded to my press release. But when they found out the the story involved Big Oil, they all backed off.

Mind you, at the time, I was not expecting these newspapers to have me do the reporting. I was willing to turn over my research to whatever news organization wanted it. I'm a tech writer, Gul Darn it! Not a reporter. But still, there was no response.

THE REST OF THE ARTICLE IS HERE...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/22/143038/082?new=true

[EFerrari]

1. Just for pulling up our local supine press, k&r!

:applause:

[truedelphi]

2. I'mproud to have you on board as my first response.

And prouder even of the K & R!! Thanks.

[stevenleser]

3. K&R, Great read!

and great job Carol!

[truedelphi]

8. And thank you for giving me an excuse to see

IF my old Daily Kos password and userid worked.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. great read

[truedelphi]

9. Thanks NadinB n/t

[The River]

5. K&R

both places

[truedelphi]

10. Oh kuhl. And thanks! n/t

[readmoreoften]

6. How weird! On other threads I'm reading about how fantastic big oil is.

Who'd've guessed Big Oil had its sinister components!

:sarcasm:

[truedelphi]

7. Well people like it because its pricing is so affordable!!

And if you run out of butter, it will substitute just fine in that pound cake you're making.

[readmoreoften]

13. They do it all for us. All they're asking is a tiny amount of compensation for their efforts.

And just a little total control of our foreign policy.

[EFerrari]

11. Kick

[leftchick]

12. Excellent!

very well done!

K&R!

:applause:

[Forkboy]

14. Excellent, though disturbing, piece.

Angry K&R. It's not that I didn't know the media did this....but still. :mad:

[EFerrari]

15. Kick!

[leftchick]

16. kick!

..

[EFerrari]

17. One more.

[autorank]

18. Will Microsoft plug Linux ? k*r

No, and we wouldn't expect it to do that.

Nodifference with MSM - they are the problem. Why would they write about it.

Excellent stuff truedelphi. Pile it on.

[truedelphi]

19. Thank you everyone for all the recommendations.

This experience leaves me shattered. My innocence disappeared over those months of trying to get someone, anyone to take the lead on the MTBE story.

When people on DU say things like, "We need to write to the editor at such and such MegaMedia and let them know that:
Bush should be impeached,
or that oil prices wouldn't be so high if not for rampant speculating,
or that most Americans want the war in Iraq ended -

A tiny voice in me cries out: But those at Mega Media already know those things! What the media is about is making sure we have as little printed matter as possible to prove our case.

And the process is corrupting to young journalists too: they have tens of thousands of dollars to pay off on their student loans. THey can work for the local Chicago or Kansas City news paper, and start out making
$ 35 to $ 40 K, running themselves into the ground. Or they can work for Monsanto, or Merck, and make $ 55 K to start - all they need to do is to repeat the things Monsanto or Merck tells them. Since journalists are often untrained in science, the junk science that comes with the territory is readily acceptable to them.

This is why the internet is the only place the more astute among us hang out.

[ihavenobias]

20. K & R. Sadly it sounds all too familiar, part of it at least

Doesn't the gasoline sold in much of the Northwest have very high levels of benzene, another toxic chemical? Apparently it's expensive to dispose of so the gas companies let drivers burn it out into the air for them at no cost...no cost to the gas/oil companies at least.

As for the researcher saying his words were made up, what is the recourse for that? Did he try to take it to court?

[truedelphi]

22. At the state hearing in Sacramento Calif, John Froines stated that benzene is no longer allowed

In gasoline.

I am not sure if he was referring to California standards or national standards.

If you have gasoline at your service stations that still contains lead, then there might be amounts of benzene inside the gasoline. (I know that in 1994-95, when I traveled around in Oregon, there was still lead in some gasoline, or maybe all!)

However what you need to look out for are the toxins inside Air Fresheners, and disinfectants.

Benzene is listed by the World Health Organization as one possible compound used inside those products. Other possibilities are toluene, formaldehyde, alkyl (In Lysol disinfectants) and phenyls (Phenyls will not cause cancer directly, but will encourage cancer cells already in your system to attach to your body rather than being flushed out.)

These companies are VERY clever. They don't want the time and huge expense of shipping these toxics out to SuperFund sites, so they have created a national campaign through advertising to persuade us that we need to spray their version of "Fresh Mountain" air throughout our homes. THERE ARE FEW REQUIREMENTS that personal care products to exclude toxics. When I examine hair mousses at the super market, benzene is often listed ON THE LABEL! So that something that was deemed too dangerous to be used in California gasoline is allowed to be placed on your hair. And the term "Quaternium" which is a common element in shampoo is nothing more than formaldehyde - a prop 65 carcinogen!

MTBE was banned from gasoline in part because of its formaldehyde content - but formaldehyde is allowed in hair products for use on your head!

[ihavenobias]

23. I remember Thom Hartmann saying benzene is banned in CA

because CA already has plenty of air pollution. Apparently that's why it's being dumped into the clean air of the Pacific Northwest.

[truedelphi]

24. You might want to contact some of the people I knew at Earth Island Institute

They know a lot of the in's and out's of what is going on in Calfi and other palces as well.

I'll be sorting through the relevant papers later today and will PM you.

[Blue_Tires]

21. ttt