Sunday is Oscar night. It has been years since I’ve been interested in watching the Academy Awards, mostly because I’d usually rather curl up in a comfy chair, with a cup of green tea, and read a good trashy novel than watch a movie. It’s just not all that fun to go to a theater alone. The last movie I saw in a theater was Waiting for Superman, and that was because Club 20 organized a whole group of people to watch and discuss the movie. I never think to watch a movie on TV. My channel surfing is much more likely to end up at a cable news channel. I’ll admit it, I’m a political junkie.
But I’ll probably tune in to the Oscars on Sunday night. I am fascinated by the drama surrounding the nomination of Gasland. The documentary put the term fracking in the dictionary. Fracking has been the subject of many investigative journalists and a new EPA study since the movie’s debut. The environmentalists of the world see Gasland as ammunition in a fight against pollution of air and water by oil and gas exploration and production. The industry sees it as a pack of lies.
In fact the industry is so upset about Gasland’s nomination, that they lodged a PR campaign against the film. They sent a letter to the Academy suggesting that the film is ineligible for an Oscar. They created their own film about the industry. Problem is, the group complaining the loudest is a group that lobbies against any regulation of the oil and gas industry. If the industry doesn’t have to worry about pesky safeguards for the health of ordinary citizens they can make more money. It’s all about money.
PR campaigns aren’t about truth, PR campaigns are about protecting the industry with the checkbook. There are two simple formulas for any industry: short cut = profit; regulation = expense. PR campaigns are all about protecting the profits of the company and have nothing to do with protecting the rights or safety of the public. They are all about diverting attention from what is really happening, or shifting the blame to someone else. The fact that the industry is so hell bent on discrediting Gasland tells me that it is worried about its profits. I don’t know why, with the subsidies it gets from governments and the addiction we all have to guzzling its products, the industry is one of the most profitable in the world.
The EPA ordered a study of fracking. The study has been passed to a panel of scientists for peer review, which means that its release is imminent. The industry is embattled, and is going to fight anything that might change the way it does business. Personally, I’m more prone to believe a panel of scientists about fracking issues than to believe a PR firm charged with creating diversions. A diversion is just a sophisticated lie.
I hope Gasland wins its Oscar. Oscar winners usually draw audiences. Every American should see Gasland. After viewing the film, they should read the EPA report on fracking, and start thinking about the world they want to inhabit.
I’ll be watching for the results on Sunday night. I’ll be cheering for Gasland. I’ll be cheering for the health of our planet. And I’ll be watching to see who is wearing green ribbons on their designer gowns and tuxedos.
Homework
Academy Award Nomination for Gasland
Oscar Nominations and Voting
Oil and Gas Companies Petition Against Gasland Oscar
Energy Industry's Response to Gasland
Public Relations Campaigns
Top Five PR Campaigns of the Decade
But I’ll probably tune in to the Oscars on Sunday night. I am fascinated by the drama surrounding the nomination of Gasland. The documentary put the term fracking in the dictionary. Fracking has been the subject of many investigative journalists and a new EPA study since the movie’s debut. The environmentalists of the world see Gasland as ammunition in a fight against pollution of air and water by oil and gas exploration and production. The industry sees it as a pack of lies.
In fact the industry is so upset about Gasland’s nomination, that they lodged a PR campaign against the film. They sent a letter to the Academy suggesting that the film is ineligible for an Oscar. They created their own film about the industry. Problem is, the group complaining the loudest is a group that lobbies against any regulation of the oil and gas industry. If the industry doesn’t have to worry about pesky safeguards for the health of ordinary citizens they can make more money. It’s all about money.
PR campaigns aren’t about truth, PR campaigns are about protecting the industry with the checkbook. There are two simple formulas for any industry: short cut = profit; regulation = expense. PR campaigns are all about protecting the profits of the company and have nothing to do with protecting the rights or safety of the public. They are all about diverting attention from what is really happening, or shifting the blame to someone else. The fact that the industry is so hell bent on discrediting Gasland tells me that it is worried about its profits. I don’t know why, with the subsidies it gets from governments and the addiction we all have to guzzling its products, the industry is one of the most profitable in the world.
The EPA ordered a study of fracking. The study has been passed to a panel of scientists for peer review, which means that its release is imminent. The industry is embattled, and is going to fight anything that might change the way it does business. Personally, I’m more prone to believe a panel of scientists about fracking issues than to believe a PR firm charged with creating diversions. A diversion is just a sophisticated lie.
I hope Gasland wins its Oscar. Oscar winners usually draw audiences. Every American should see Gasland. After viewing the film, they should read the EPA report on fracking, and start thinking about the world they want to inhabit.
I’ll be watching for the results on Sunday night. I’ll be cheering for Gasland. I’ll be cheering for the health of our planet. And I’ll be watching to see who is wearing green ribbons on their designer gowns and tuxedos.
Homework
Academy Award Nomination for Gasland
Oscar Nominations and Voting
Oil and Gas Companies Petition Against Gasland Oscar
Energy Industry's Response to Gasland
Public Relations Campaigns
Top Five PR Campaigns of the Decade
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