David Suraski posted to this site a propaganda piece masquerading as news. I
don't fault him for posting it, but I do object to the unquestioning fashion
that news reporters pass along any piece of self-serving fluff that any
environmental activist group dishes out. (It's referred to as "advocacy
journalism", and the claim is that some issues are so important to society
that the journalist, to be responsible, must take sides - the "correct" side
- instead of being dispassionate, skeptical, thorough, and even-handed.) The
article involves a group that rates electronics manufacturers for their
environmental correctness according to the group's made-up scale. I call it
gentle extortion. The threat is not physical harm but it is real. They are
trying to intimidate corporate leaders into capitulating to their demands to
avoid economic damage resulting from decisions by misled consumers. (Maybe
the journalists are frightened too, of complaints to their editors for being
"soft on pollution" if they don't salute smartly.) What would you call it?
"Rate speech"?

I'd like to propose that someone develop a report card for rating
environmental activist groups on the extent to which they practice full
disclosure or engage in deception to achieve their ends. Of course, finding
a journalist willing to publicize the results might be a challenge.

Subscribers will recall the efforts (unsuccessful) by Joe Fjelstad to elicit
support for the notion that lead in electronic products was bad for the
environment. The only reaction was by people who object to using the
Leadfree forum to discuss such matters. Has any subscriber ever seen an
environmental group that discusses lead poisoning from lead in electronic
products instead of trying to frighten people with alarms about "hazardous
waste"? I have referred before to a group that is trying to reduce lead
poisoning around the world, and electronic products are not even on this
group's radar screen.

Gordon Davy
Baltimore, MD
[log in to unmask]
410-993-7399

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