Once again, the N&R runs a story about the poor atmospheric conditions in the Triad on a clear, sunny, 60-degree day. Wait a minute…….aaaahhhh…. I just stepped out on the porch to breath in some of this morning’s clean, brisk air.
Honestly, I’m not here to knock the Triad Commuter Challenge just to do it. I’m even happy that telecommuting counted as part of the challenge.
My problem with today’s article is the way veteran reporter Taft Wireback simply makes claims as if they were fact. Take note:
The Triad suffers from air quality problems because of its geography, pollution created within the region and weather patterns that bring it from other areas. Parts of the region are battling traffic congestion that delays travel and worsens pollution.
The challenge is an effort to combat both problems at once by getting people to step outside their comfort zone of driving to work alone. Even telecommuting qualifies for people whose occupations enable them to work at home.
Last year’s challenge attracted about 1,000 people to take the plunge, keeping an estimated 2,000 pounds of pollution out of the air.
That’s a good start, but the region must do more if it really wants to promote alternative ways of commuting, said Bill Laxton, the event’s keynote speaker and chief deputy of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Maybe Laxton made the claim that 2,000 pounds of pollution were removed from the air during last year’s challenge, but how what evidence does present to back that up? Or did he present evidence and it just wasn’t reported? I’d like to know.
Wireback’s a veteran reporter who has taken over the N&R’s environmental beat. I can’t help but notice evidence of bias creeping into his reporting.
