Another Example of Media Misinformation (aka Propaganda)

Nicholas Carr wrote an article discussing the environmental movement’s shift toward monitoring cloud computing for clean energy usage. The point is not lost on me. However, he propagates and even extends a mis-fact from Greenpeace.

Greenpeace also links Apple’s decision to locate a huge cloud data center in North Carolina to that state’s cheap electricity supplies, which come mainly from coal-fired plants. Other companies, including Google, also run big data center operations in the Carolinas.

link: Rough Type: Nicholas Carr’s Blog: Greenpeace raids the cloud

This is another example of media games (or misstatements). While it is true that these facilities are in NC and it is true that most of NC’s power comes from coal, it is not true that these particular facilities are powered by coal. In fact, the specific facilities that he is referring to were intentionally located near Nuclear power plants. This is the CLEANEST and cheapest energy available.

Propagating that falsehood is another example of the modern media’s tendency to avoid fact checking or exaggerate in order to make a point. The bad thing is that the thousands of people that read that report or his blog that do not live in NC will never know that the facts upon which they draw their conclusions are wrong.

The more and more I look into stories that I see in the media, the more I find inaccuracies and flat out lies. It has almost become acceptable to fabricate data to support your case. Politically, I see this on all sides. Heck, I even see this among sports reporters. Start digging into global warming and see how long it takes you to find the original source for a fact (not copied or editorialized). It is truly uncanny the amount of garbage we are fed on a daily basis. Maybe it is just life, but who can you trust for information today.

Update: I’m not sure which one, but I believe this particular passage is a fallacy falling under Fallacy of Composition or Hasty Generalization