Faux "We care" Journalism

The New York Times means well but is playing out an old media pattern that ends up driving general public concern from high to "Who cares? Big deal 500 barrels of oil is not 500 million - get real!" I had students document a number of environmental disasters in the mid- 1970s and how they played out in the press. 6-16 weeks of intense coverage that broadened to almost every like incident they could find. Then a drift into background and no reporting on ongoing problems. The pubic assumes if no news; no problem. That's big reason why nothing has ever been done to make shipping and drilling of oil safe. Big oil stays with influencing legislators and no news equals no problem - until the next cycle of high interest and cooling off - because - how's this connect to my gas powered mower, sidewalk blow dryer (grin), lawn edger...?

clipped from www.nytimes.com Oil Spills Into Salt Lake City Creek SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A leaked pipeline sent oil spilling into a Salt Lake City creek, coating geese and ducks and closing a park, officials said Saturday as they started a cleanup effort expected to last weeks. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A leaked pipeline sent oil spilling into a Salt Lake City creek, coating geese and ducks and closing a park, officials said Saturday as they started a cleanup effort expected to last weeks.