Comments on: What happened to crusading newspapers?

By: This is a headline « Monday morning demo

This is a headline « Monday morning demo — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:03:34 +0000

[...] This is a headline Posted by cunygsj under Uncategorized | Tags: demo | Hi, this is another damned demo post. [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:39:22 +0000

Why didn’t the Guardian suggest that the publication save people the miles upon miles of paper and ink that newspaper companies like themselves continue to waste day after day?

Perhaps people would realize that all too often these purported crusading publications would not be such staunch advocates if it results in bottom line losses….

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:01:31 +0000

> The problem isnâ€™t plastic bags as such, itâ€™s with plastic bags that are only used once and thrown away. Which is insane.

And how do you know what people do with the bags they get?

In the “old days”, everyone did things with paper bags. Today they do things with plastic bags.

They’re so useful that I occasionally ask the clerk for an extra.

There are, of course, two responses to my question. The first is “well, I do the right thing, but those people are different.” Wrong. The second is “I throw them away because I can’t figure out anything else to do”. If that’s the case, perhaps you should be fixed, but leave the rest of us alone.

By: Glyn Thomas

Glyn Thomas — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:22:55 +0000

Cooler Heads and others:

This isn’t a case of replacing plastic bags with paper bags, because paper bags aren’t much used in the UK in comparison to the USA. It’s a case of replacing disposable plastic bags with plastic “bags for life”.

The problem isn’t plastic bags as such, it’s with plastic bags that are only used once and thrown away. Which is insane.

The Daily Mail (whose politics I detest) may actually do something positive here, for which I grudgingly salute them.

By: Richard Cook

Richard Cook — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:01:35 +0000

Anna

What does that have to do with anything?

By: Make Them Accountable / Media

Make Them Accountable / Media — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:11:58 +0000

[...] What happened to crusading newspapers? (by Jeff Jarvis) While I was in London, the Daily Mail opened a campaign â€” and quickly declared victory â€” to ban ecologically dangerous plastic bags from stores. Even the Guardian praised it as Martin Kettle said the Mail set an example for government of finding a problem and just solving itâ€¦ His point is about government and society but I also see a lesson here for American newspaeprs, which in my day, children, used to crusade. They picked a problem and found a solution and then stacked the deck to take credit for solving it. But at least it got solved. Where did that spirit go? They got lazy, Jeff, they donâ€™t even check on whoâ€™s plagiarizing whom.Â See below. [...]

By: Anna Haynes

Anna Haynes — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:10:23 +0000

Roger, do you have children?

By: roger rainey

roger rainey — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:27:36 +0000

Good God, Jarvis. Its as if we don’t have enough campaigning by news outlets on all kinds of issues already. Take global warming as the elephantine example sitting in the corner. I for one can’t credit the reporting of many outlets on the warming issue because their prefernce is so plain. Isn’t encouraging papers to start choosing sides contra to a lot that you advocate for? Where is the reliable straight up local news? What happens to the credibility of a rag when the other guy reports how paper bags are even worse than the plastic ones? Why should anyone rely on the choice made by a reporter and rubber stamped by an overworked editorial board on any issue, scientific or otherwise?

By: rick gregory

rick gregory — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:06:40 +0000

Plastic bags??? Banning plastic bags now gets identified as some noble crusade?? Have we really sunk to that depth? Please… this is a nice publicity stunt - period.

To your questions about why people don’t do this more… it’s because not all problems are as easy to solve. Ban plastic bags, check. Replace them with reusable cloth bags, check. Ok, done, next issue. But what about the problems that aren’t so simple? You know… health insurance coverage for the 40+million in the US who aren’t covered? Immigration issues? Childhood hunger? The solutions are unclear and dependent on your ideological bent and on what you believe the consequences of each possible solution are.

I’d LOVE to see newspapers start crusades to address those, but sadly they won’t since it doesn’t fit in a nice neat soluble package that they can use as a PR stunt.

By: PXLated

PXLated — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:26:19 +0000

Agree with Cooler Heads…Read an article this weekend (sorry, no link) that talked about how paper takes a ton more energy/resources to produce than plastic/styrofom and biodegradability in modern landfills isn’t an issue.

By: Cooler Heads

Cooler Heads — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:38:01 +0000

Uhhh, ban ecologically dangerous plastic bags? And replace them with what? Ecologically dangerous paper bags?

Did they show that the disease is worse than the cure? From everything I’ve read, it’s a toss-up between paper and plastic as far as the environment goes. The manufacture of paper is horribly polluting, as is the pickup of recyclables and the re-manufacture of recycled products.