Power User Podcast w/ Taylor Lorenz
From Ohio to North Dakota, thousands of people have suddenly gotten brand new newspapers delivered to their doorsteps. At first glance, they look legit. But these newspapers are fake news outlets created by the oil and gas industry to influence public opinion. Top investigative journalist Miranda Green has been uncovering these oil and gas-backed news outlets and websites. She joins me to talk about how these shady publications are mimicking legitimate local newspapers to spread propaganda and influence public opinion, especially around climate change and other major political issues. There’s evidence that the recent $666 million judgment against Greenpeace related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests was issued by a jury that was influenced by these fake newspapers. Miranda reveals the oil and gas industry’s local news playbook, how to find/identify these websites and papers, and what the oil and gas industry has planned next.
