In an ironic bit of news, Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corporation, announced this week that his company has achieved their proclaimed goal of becoming carbon neutral. That is, three years after saying they would mitigate all of their carbon emissions through technological and structural changes as well as climate credits, the parent company of Fox News has completed the task.
Wait a minute…isn’t Fox News the network that employs anchors who repeatedly doubt the science behind climate change, and further the idea that climate change is not really happening?
First off, as strange and difficult as it is to say, the company must be commended for their achievement. But there’s a definite contradiction here. If the network and specifically Rupert Murdoch care about sustainability and the environment, why do they consistently use Fox News to denigrate the environmental movement, the EPA, and the science behind climate change? On the one hand, the network is doing things like “lighting retrofits and automatic PC shut-down to systematic changes like installing telepresence and videoconferencing technology to reduce the need for air travel…[and] support clean energy.” And on the other, they attack sustainability as something that’s not important, too expensive, and just plain stupid (watch this to see what I mean).
Sure, carbon neutrality is a good thing, but it would be easier to swallow if Murdoch’s network didn’t misinform American audiences and denounce environmental legislation whenever possible.
(via Huff Post)
Photo: News Corporation (via Treehugger)