YouTube vs. CNN on the Clean Coal Debate [1]
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson [2] on
A new YouTube video raises the question of whether CNN [3]'s coverage of the clean coal [4] debate has been biased by a multi-million dollar advertising campaign purchased on CNN by the coal industry through Americans for Balanced Energy Choices [5], a coal front group [6] since renamed the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity [7]. The ad campaign, which began a year ago, was created by Waylon Ad [8], a firm representing both ABEC and the National Mining Association [9]. A coal industry website [10] describes the purpose of the CNN ad campaign: "The St. Louis ad agency's spot, which follows a debut effort that broke in April, suggests coal use is economically efficient and environmentally friendly. In the latest spot, a panorama of people and faces, including a man in the middle of a field with an electric guitar, is shown as a voiceover touts coal use." The low budget video piece was posted on YouTube June 24. Watch it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKR-6Szlv0g