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Does Canada’s embattled oil and gas sector have a too-cozy relationship with two of the country’s largest print-media chains?
That, in a nutshell, is the working thesis of a two-part research essay by self-described “climate and coast defender”
Robert Hackett, from Burnaby, B.C., and writer
Hanna Araza, that hit the Rabble front page this week after making its virtual debut in the
National Observer’s special report on the state of journalism in Canada.
“As identified by the Corporate Mapping Project, Canada’s Fossil-Power Top 50 includes: emitters, the extractive corporations with the greatest carbon footprint; enablers, mainly banks and industry-friendly regulators; and legitimators, who publicly advocate against an urgent shift from fossil fuels,” the duo notes.
, provincial and federal policies fall far short of the scale of the challenge. One reason for Canada s laggardly climate policies is the economic, cultural and political power of the fossil fuel industries.
This two-part series considers an under-explored aspect of their power their relationship with Canadian corporate media, and possible policy responses that could promote more independent watchdog journalism. Read Part 1 here. (An extended version of the first article is scheduled for the May issue of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
.)
In the race against climate change, Canada needs more critical journalism vis-a-vis the fossil fuel giants blocking effective climate action, as the Corporate Mapping Project has shown. Why isn t there more of the kind of news we get in