The Mainstream Media (MSM) – geez, you just gotta love that commitment to the environment!<\/p>\n
Reporting is hard work.\u00a0 It sometimes means you have to do some leg work and fact checking – like background research, follow-ups, calling people, and (gulp!) sometimes even go somewhere and interview sources.<\/p>\n
But all of that takes time.\u00a0 And all of it –\u00a0 particularly the background research and travel – can be really bad for the environment.<\/p>\n
So in the spirit of going green, some members of the MSM are truly into “green” reporting, such as low-impact writing and recycling.\u00a0 It’s critically important to help preserve Mother Earth\/Gaia, you know.<\/p>\n
Of course, some old fogies just don’t understand the concept of green reporting.\u00a0 They have mean, pejorative names for it.\u00a0 They actually call low-impact writing MSU (“making sh*t up”).\u00a0 And they call recycling “plagiarism”.\u00a0 Those bastards!<\/p>\n
Such heartless meanies.\u00a0 They’ve even made serious trouble for many reporters who were simply trying to save the planet because of those\u00a0 efforts.\u00a0 Just look at Janet Cook – who received the Pulitzer Prize for a primo example of low-impact writing<\/a> – but gave it back, doubtless under duress \u00a0 Or Christopher Newton, who wrote over 40 stories in the early 2000s<\/a> of the same type, saving God only knows how many tons of pollution through avoiding travel, phone calls, interviews, and fact-checking. \u00a0 Or Jason Blair, who did the same at the New York Times<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And there are any number of other, similar incidents throughout the last 30 years or so.\u00a0 All they were trying to do was reduce the environmental impact of their work.\u00a0 And they got crucified for trying to save the planet.\u00a0 Crucified!<\/p>\n And Blair was also bigtime into saving the planet through recycling.\u00a0 (Those\u00a0 unenlightened meanies call it plagiarism, but hey – they”re simply not “thinking green”, remember?) \u00a0 Blair recycled extensively in his work.\u00a0 And now we have the current example of Fareed Zakaria, of Time\/CNN\/Washington Post, who’s just shown everyone he’s truly green by doing the same<\/a>.\u00a0 But they – and countless others – paid a heavy price for their work on behalf of all of us.\u00a0 They got hammered by “the man” when they were simply trying to save the planet!<\/p>\n Hey, recycling like that really<\/em> cuts down on the environmental impact of writing a story!\u00a0 (Just remember not to do too<\/em> many Google searches<\/a>.)<\/p>\n All eventually got called on the carpet for their heroic acts by those mean old fogies who insist on some things they call “accuracy” and “professional standards”. \u00a0 But we all know that was simply unfair and shortsighted.\u00a0 After all:\u00a0 those heroes were simply trying to do whatever they could to save the planet.\u00a0 What’s a little . . . cutting corners or stretching things when the planet’s future is at stake!<\/p>\n In fact, they need our help today!\u00a0 Free Fareed Zakaria!\u00a0\u00a0 Free Fareed Zakaria!\u00a0 Free Fareed Zakaria! Free Fareed . . . .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Just in case anyone missed the obvious:\u00a0 yes, the above article is definitely<\/em> sarcasm.\u00a0 And the idea that the IT industry is bad for the environment is absolute bullshit<\/em>, too.\u00a0\u00a0 The IT industry has been a huge net plus for mankind environmentally, enabling virtually everything to be done with far less use of resources than would be possible otherwise.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"