Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because the guilty party are ad buyers.
Don't think Norfolk Southern is a big ad buyer.
[dead]
Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
81–90 of 346 posts
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#82Oh, in fact, I have heard of it, and all the coverage I've heard is people grimly telling me about how horrible it is and how no one is covering how terribly horrible it is. What I haven't seen is any actual reporting . You know, talking to an expert, someone who has any actual knowledge about what steps are being taken, what the threat is, what steps should be taken but aren't, etc. But hey, those ominous black clou…
I submitted this the other day and it has abundant context: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/norfolk-southern-giving-25-00...
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#83I explained to my sister that this was "Bhopal[1]" level bad and she didn't believe me because "If it was that bad the news would be covering it." Sigh. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster
Let's compare-
Bhopal: 2000-8000 estimated deaths within 2 weeks of disaster
2023 Ohio train derailment: 0 estimated deaths within 10 days of disaster
I definitely see why it's appealing to exaggerate something that has been under-reported, and it's popular to do, but I don't think it's a winning strategy.
I think the max number of people will listen if the severity of events is portrayed in context. People mistrust the media for sensationalism and are looking for better ways to understand the world more accurately.
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#84I've heard about this, but it is surprising how little coverage it gets compared to other things. If you were to tally up how much airtime each news story gets, plotted against the general tone of the coverage, you'd probably come up with something resembling the news room agenda (you'd also have to weigh it against other stories developing at around the same time). I have to wonder why a story of environmental disas…
It’s not getting much play because that area is poor.
There have been regions of West Virginia that have had problems with potable tap water for years and it gets no press at all.
If Aspen, CO or East Hampton, NY had this kind of event there would be a national state of emergency and possibly a holiday added to the calendar. Never forget.
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's 2,000 people in the town itself and 20,000 within a 10 mile radius. We're quite lucky this did not happen in Pittsburgh or Columbus.
And Flint's water empties into all 5 lakes. Still not worth talking about polluting the world's largest freshwater body until we can throw darts at a talking head though!
The amount of basin-wide city waste and industrial waste that ends up there dwarfs the stuff you're getting from Flint.
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#86Eerily similar to the recent Netflix movie "White Noise": https://www.netflix.com/title/81317320
It's kinda sad how the best way to get attention for serious environmental policy issues these days is to make a screwball comedy starring some Hollywood heavy hitters playing against type.
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#87Oh, in fact, I have heard of it, and all the coverage I've heard is people grimly telling me about how horrible it is and how no one is covering how terribly horrible it is. What I haven't seen is any actual reporting . You know, talking to an expert, someone who has any actual knowledge about what steps are being taken, what the threat is, what steps should be taken but aren't, etc. But hey, those ominous black clou…
> What I haven't seen is any actual reporting. You know, talking to an expert, someone who has any actual knowledge about what steps are being taken, what the threat is, what steps should be taken but aren't, etc.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-de...
> “I think it was not in the best interest of human health and welfare and the environment to simply cover it up and keep going without at least a preliminary evaluation to determine if the level of vinyl chloride that was present in the soil was going to create a potential contamination threat to surface or groundwater,” said Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice who has a Ph.D. in soil science and has been working for Bennett & Williams Environmental Consultants since 1986.
> Weatherington-Rice said it’s possible vinyl chloride can travel through the ground as rain and precipitation move through the soil. It then has the potential to reach groundwater and eventually hit well fields.
> “It’s not a question of whether it’s going to be an issue, it will be an issue, the question is how bad of an issue is it gonna be, where is it gonna go, and how long is it gonna take to get there, and what’s gonna happen when it gets there,” Weatherington-Rice said.
https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/east-palestine-train-de...
> “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open,” said Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist.
> Caggiano says ethylhexyl acrylate is especially worrisome. He says it’s a carcinogen and contact with it can cause burning and irritation in the skin and eyes. Breathing it in can irritate the nose and throat and cause coughing and shortness of breath.
> Isobutylene is also known to cause dizziness and drowsiness when inhaled.
> “I was surprised when they quickly told the people they can go back home, but then said if they feel like they want their homes tested they can have them tested. I would’ve far rather they did all the testing,” Caggiano said.
> Caggiano says it’s possible some of these chemicals could still be present in homes and on objects until you clean them thoroughly.
> “There’s a lot of what ifs, and we’re going to be looking at this thing 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the line and wondering, ‘Gee, cancer clusters could pop up, you know, well water could go bad,” Caggiano said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/residents-ohio-tr...
> Andrew Whelton, a professor of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, said it's possible the burn created additional compounds the EPA might not be testing for.
> "When they combusted the materials, they created other chemicals. The question is what did they create?" he said.
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#88I've heard about this, but it is surprising how little coverage it gets compared to other things. If you were to tally up how much airtime each news story gets, plotted against the general tone of the coverage, you'd probably come up with something resembling the news room agenda (you'd also have to weigh it against other stories developing at around the same time). I have to wonder why a story of environmental disas…
>have to wonder why a story of environmental disaster (and presumably, negligence) making a small town uninhabitable isn't being milked for every drop of sensation that can be mustered. Trains crash. Accidents happen. It's about as newsworthy as a severe thunderstorm. Sad for the people involved, but true nonetheless.
You can't really believe that brain-damaging chemicals in the air (and soil and water) is the same thing with lightnings in a severe thunderstorm!
Re: Ohio train derailment: environmental disaster quietly unfolding
#89One conspiracy theory floating around is that the UFO shoot downs came at a fortuitous time to keep this chemical spill off the front page.
In a world where the Ukraine war ended Covid, balloons in the sky can certainly keep environmental catastrophes off the front page.