Green Is the New Yellow

[didymus]

Some much-needed debunking from the liberal Slate website:

tinyurl.com/2aygk9

Green Is the New Yellow

Yellow journalism now comes in a new color: green.

Often as sensationalistic as its yellow predecessor, green journalism tends to appeal to our emotions, exploit our fears, and pander to our vanity. It places a political agenda in front of the quest for journalistic truth and in its most demagogic forms tolerates no criticism, branding all who question it as enemies of the people.

Not all green journalism harangues, but even the gentlest variety sermonizes, cuts logical corners, and substitutes good intentions for problem solving. For an example of creepy gentle green journalism, there’s no better example than the “Slate Green Challenge,” a series that ***Slate ***started publishing last fall in conjunction with TreeHugger.org.

I’ve got no fundamental quarrel with TreeHugger. They’re propagandists who are “dedicated to driving sustainability into the mainstream” and don’t really pretend to be journalists. My ***** is that Slate, which ought to know better,****boarded the trendy greenwagon to publish the group’s flawed, if well-meaning, guide to reducing carbon dioxide from one’s “diet.”

 

[vern_humphrey]

I used to hope for truth in media. Now I dispair of sanity.

 

[emily47017]

as a big loudmouth greeniac myself, i took the slate/treehugger green challenge a while back… and it was totally lame!

the next paragraph after your quote:

Now, don’t get me wrong. Carbon emissions may indeed be causing harmful climate change, and dramatic reductions by Americans may actually do some good. But in typical green journalism fashion, the feel-good TreeHugger copy gives equal emphasis to reducing your airline travel and installing an aerating shower head in your bathroom. (Carbon saving from canceling that New York to Los Angeles roundtrip: about a ton. Installing new shower head: about a thimble.)

… which is exactly how i had been feeling.

i agree “green” has become very fashionable, and unfortunately there’s always a tipping point where everyone who knows anything about the issues involved is already on the bandwagon, and everyone else is jumping on just to be seen with the cool kids.