So the War Room website is a bunch of stories presented as news but with no bylines. Top hits include 'Alberta father irked by charity group that targets fossil fuel industry' and 'Say What? University of Alberta prof says we all need to calm down' #ableg https://t.co/yEXbz5zRCc
— Kevin Maimann (@TheMaimann) December 11, 2019
The Canadian Energy Centre sounds like a charming think tank near a small, human-made lake. The beige-sounding name is actually Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's "war room" for propaganda designed to fight stories they don't like on the oil industry.
The operation is set up as a private corporation, yet funded with taxpayer money. The provincial budget consists of $20 million via the province's new carbon tax and $10 million per year diverted from the government's existing advertising fund. If the Canadian Energy Centre were using 100% private money, we could think of better ways to use the money. Taxpayer money is in a different category for a reason.
"We're here to help raise understanding of the Canadian energy sector's value to this country and the world, through the sharing of knowledge, facts and ideas."
This is the mantra from the Web site. All but the last 8 words is a laudatory goal. The final 8 words on the surface sound good, but that is what propaganda is all about.
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As we reported earlier this year, the concern was that this new propaganda site would hire journalists from Postmedia, the newspaper chain that is majority-owned essentially by American hedge funds. Postmedia hired Nick Koolsbergen, Kenney's former chief of staff. Postmedia owns the 4 largest newspapers in Alberta: Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Herald, and the Calgary Sun.
The good news and bad news is there are no bylines. Good in that specific journalists aren't sacrificing their professional integrity; bad in that we don't know who is sacrificing their professional integrity.
A seemingly neutral topic in a story about greenhouses for growing vegetables is secretly a way to promote the use of natural gas.
The "Say What?" article Kevin Maimann noted in his tweet is a bunch of one-sided talking points: Dr. Lianne Lefsrud, Assistant Professor of Engineering and Risk Management "found these terms can ramp up the rhetoric. Her research shows, for example, 'articles that mention tar sands consistently use more alarming language than articles containing oil sands.'" Alarming to people who prefer to use the term "oil sands" instead of "tar sands."
Journalism 101 would also point out that using a single source (Dr. Lefsrud) in a story would never be allowed.
CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage
These stories can and will be used to justify certain points. The idea that the stories are "published" will lend false credibility, hence the beige Canadian Energy Centre name.
Journalists and editors are normally accountable, hence putting names on stories and often allowing for comments on stories. The Canadian Energy Centre does none of those things. The organisation is being run by failed UCP candidate Tom Olsen, who lost in the Calgary-Buffalo riding. Olsen's reported salary is $195,000 per year.
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CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage
The people of Alberta have a story to tell. Boom and bust cycles and the impact on their lives. Tell those stories.
Tell the stories about not taking advantage of other forms of energy (wind, solar, etc.) that Alberta has that is more consistent than the boom and bust cycles. Tell the stories about 40 years of conservative government that didn't plan for a rainy day for those bust cycles. Tell the stories about sending raw bitumen through pipelines instead of refining them in Alberta, a process that is better for the environment and guarantees good jobs in Alberta. Tell the stories about environmental damage from pipelines that get buried in the press.
Tell the stories about how your government tried to make you feel better about oil and gas and spent $30 million/year to produce misleading stories.
Propaganda won't further the conversation outside Alberta. If you live in Alberta, propaganda might make you feel better but that won't put food on your plate. Even if you think propaganda is the right way to go, your government is overcharging you.
Albertans deserve a real dialogue over their concerns. Propaganda is an insincere internal monologue.
photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @TheMaimann
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