Another satisfied Joshua Frank fan.
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Question: With all the major outlets like CNN, FOX, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, why is the alternative media so crucial?
Answer: Whether you label them liberal or conservative, most major media outlets are large corporations owned by or aligned with even larger corporations, and they share a common goal: to make a profit by selling a product—an affluent audience—to a given market: advertisers. Therefore, we shouldn't find it too shocking that the image of the world being presented by a corporate-owned press very much reflects the biased interests of the elite players involved in this sordid little love triangle.
So...that's why we need hard-working journalists like Joshua Frank.
Born in Billings, Montana, Frank holds a graduate degree in environmental conservation from New York University and has written several books, including Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland. In addition, he runs Green Tags, a radical sticker company, and serves as environmental correspondent for CounterPunch and Truthout.
I interviewed Joshua via e-mail in mid-January.
WATCH VIDEO: Planet 100: Top Eco News
Planet Green: What is it about an environmental issue or story that makes you immediately think: "I have to write an article about this"?
Joshua Frank: Well, Mickey, as you know, this stuff can be really exciting! Sure, one can become a little nihilistic at times about the state our planet, but there are a ton of really inspiring environmental issues out there to write about. For example, here in the United States climate change activists have essentially put a complete moratorium on new coal-fired power plants. In 2009, not one single coal plant broke ground anywhere in the country, several were abandoned all together, and as my friend Ted Nace writes about in his enlightening new bookClimate Hope: On the Front Lines Against Coal, this is exactly what we have to do in order to curb the effects of climate change. Most of these campaigns against coal are local in nature and they seem to really be having an effect. So sure, there are plenty of depressing stories to cover as an environmental journalist—which I do my fair share of because we have to stay realistic—but it's stories like the fight against coal that fascinates and inspires me the most.
PG: A century ago, muckraking writers played a major role in exposing the realities of industry and provoking much-needed change. Do you think today's muckrakers are using the Internet effectively toward this end?
JF: I think independent journalism is thriving as a result of the internet and it doesn't seem to be centered solely around the US. Environmentally, there are great reports coming out of places like India, Mexico, and Lebanon. I guess I wouldn't call of this muckraking, but certainly people have far more access to news from around the world because of the internet. It's just a matter of tracking it down.
PG: Okay, since you've mentioned the importance of "tracking down" international eco-news, can you recommend 5 of your favorite web-based sources for information readers can put into action in their own lives?
Joshua Frank's 5 Suggestions For Web-Based Eco-News (In His Own Words)
"A fabulous, daily environmental news round-up. A one-stop shop."
2. Nuclear Information and Resources
"As we seek to decrease our carbon output, nuclear energy is back on the table despite most environmentalists' discontent. This site is a fantastic resource to keep on top of the fast-breaking nuke industry developments."
3. New West
"For those of us who live out West, one of the best sources of environmental news around can be found here. Great reporting from Montana, Idaho, Utah, and beyond."
"This is another must, a portal for a myriad of world environmental stories."
I've long been a fan of New Scientist. It's fun, enlightening, yet punchy. A bit on the lighter side, just a great way to start out your morning.
