Full Episode here.
Media Matters’ Allison Fisher joins On The Media to discuss national TV news coverage of East Palestine train derailment
Fisher: “It was mystifying to me that TV news networks still approach these tragedies almost as acts of God or mere accidents because eventually the information does start to come out”
Published
On The Media-February 17, 2023
Audio file
Citation
From the February 17, 2023, episode of WNYC's On The Media
BROOKE GLADSTONE (HOST, ON THE MEDIA): The derailment happened on February 3, but coverage on outlets like Fox and MSNBC really only picked up steam this week. So, why?
ALLISON FISHER (CLIMATE & ENERGY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MEDIA MATTERS): It's possible that some new details about the environmental and health impacts maybe drove that uptick. Or it could just have been that it started to trend on Twitter. But, either way, it still told us that they were very late to the significance of the tragedy.
GLADSTONE: Allison Fisher, director of the Climate and Energy Program for the progressive media watchdog Media Matters for America, points to the narratives taking over this story.
FISHER: These ideas that because this is happening to a white community, the media's not paying attention to it, suggesting that if it happened in a community of color that it would've been treated differently. And we know that that's not true. Because we've documented time and time again that those stories aren't covered either. We'd love those same voices to come out and say that when it happens in Flint or when it happens in Jackson, Mississippi, you know, when it happens in some of these other places that are also afflicted by corporate greed and the lack of government oversight. So, do I think that there's a media blackout and there's some sort of conspiracy behind that? No. This just fits in with a long line of environmental degradation, industrial accidents that go uncovered, and, as a result, those that are perpetuating them go unaccountable.
GLADSTONE: And Fisher says that even now, with all eyes on the aftermath of the crisis in Palestine, mainstream coverage is still meh.
FISHER: It's who, what, when, where without much context, without much detail or new information from hour to hour as they're reporting on the story. It was mystifying to me that TV news networks still approach these tragedies almost as acts of God or mere accidents because eventually the information does start to come out.