To: NPR -- Think Twice About Fracking

National Public Radio should think twice about their “sponsors”

From a Post by Environmental Action, November 2014

Most Americans consider NPR an independent media organization, so it might surprise you that one of its biggest corporate sponsors is the American Natural Gas Alliance, a front group that exists only to promote some of the worst energy polluters in America.

The ANGA has been an NPR corporate sponsor for months, using its airtime to promote the misleading ‘think about it’ campaign that is in fact a promotion for the dangerous and destructive drilling process known as fracking.

NPR’s financial dependence on the fracking industry could be fouling its news coverage, just like fracking fouls up our air, water and climate. Fracking puts America on a path toward a bleak energy future, with polluted land, flammable tap water and earthquakes.

Meanwhile, clean, green energy sources like wind and solar can provide 99 percent of our electric, transportation and manufacturing power needs. No fracking required. Even better — every time we choose renewable energy over oil, coal and gas, we reduce emissions, lower the cost of energy and create jobs.

When trusted news outlets like NPR take money from ANGA and repeat their deceptive marketing claptrap — on OUR airwaves — we have to question their objectivity. Sign up here to tell NPR that when it comes to fracking, don’t even think about it.

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NPR is airing pro-fracking ads on our public radio stations and reducing their environmental reporting team by 80%.

When NPR started airing pro-fracking messages, I was annoyed. But now that they’ve also announced plans to close down virtually all their environmental coverage — leaving just one part time reporter to cover fracking, the climate crisis, and more —now I’m frankly alarmed.

Do you agree that public radio needs to reject money from the fossil fuel industry, and spend more time covering fracking and the climate crisis?

NPR has always said that we shouldn’t worry about the fracking ads, because they won’t impact news coverage. But last month, they announced plans to dramatically reduce their staff covering the environment and climate change.*

All this week, dozens of protesters have been sitting in, speaking out and even getting arrested over at the offices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is just a few blocks from NPR’s office. But they couldn’t spare a reporter even one day this week to cover the fact that FERC rubber stamping fracking projects that destroy towns, and being met with hundreds of protesters everywhere they go.**

We need to tell NPR that this is not acceptable. We need to show them that radio covering the fracking boom and the climate crisis is engaging, smart, and essential. And we need to ask the local affiliates from New York to Sacramento and everywhere in between, to join us in sending that message.

Thanks for tuning in to the planet, and tuning out pollution,

Signed: Drew Hudson and the team at Environmental Action

* Joe Romm, NPR Guts Its Environment And Climate Reporting Team, Becomes ‘Part Of The Problem’, Think Progress, October 24, 2014
** Hannah Northey, More activists arrested as climate demonstration continues at FERC, Energy and Environment News Greenwire, November 4, 2014