Making the News
Talking Points

Media Woes:

· 55% of journalists in national media believe the press has not been critical enough of President Bush. Only 8% think the press has been TOO critical. (‘To Tell the Truth,” Krugman, NYT 5/28/04)

· Just over half of journalists at national media outlets and a letter less than half at local media outlets believe that journalism is going in the wrong direction – over half of both groups think increased “bottom line pressure” is hurting the quality of news coverage. (Bottom Line Pressures Now Hurting Coverage, Say Journalists, Pew Center 5/23/04)

· Over 75% of national and local journalist who have experiences staff cuts at their workplace say bottom mine pressures are seriously hurting the quality of news coverage. In the national media, the percent of journalist that believe news reports are full of factual errors continues to rise – from 30% in 1995 to 45% in 2004. (Bottom Line Pressures Now Hurting Coverage, Say Journalists, Pew Center 5/23/04)

Is it getting warmer in here?

· The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts the planet will warm by 2.7 to 10.5 degrees over this century. (“Turning up the Hype,” William Booth 5/27/04)

· Over 20,000 people died in Europe last year as a result of an extreme heat wave attributed in part to global warming. ("With Nature There Are No Special Effects," Renato Redentor Constantino 6/4/04)

· According to leading insurance companies, climate-change related damages might cost $150 billion annually within a decade. The companies warn that unless action is taken today, the insurance industry could go bankrupt as extreme weather events such as storms and droughts increase in severity and frequency. ("With Nature There Are No Special Effects," Renato Redentor Constantino 6/4/04)

· A quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the U.S. (Pentagon’s Climate Change 3/1/04)

· 19 of the 20 warmest years on record have occurred since 1980. (Pentagon’s Climate Change 3/1/04)

· 20% of the North Pole ice has melted away since 1979 – endangering the lifestyles of native polar tribes and threatening many artic species. Polar bears that rely on dense ice shelves to hunt seals and traverse the artic seas find their hunting grounds reduced by melting ice and some penguin populations have dropped by half due to disappearing ice and snow. (Pentagon’s Climate Change 3/1/04)

· Currently $1.7 billion dollars a year is spent on climate research – while the administration continues to ignore existing research examining climate change, including a 2001 report done at the request of Congress which was highly lauded by scientists for its independent peer review. (Pentagon’s Climate Change 3/1/04)

American Opinion on the Environment

· 70% of Americans polled believe global warming is a very serious or somewhat serious problem – just 20% believe global warming does not represent a serious issue? (“Yale poll shows no need for Hollywood Hype,” 5/27/04)

· More than half of Americans polled want to hear more from presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry about their positions on environmental issues. (“Yale poll shows no need for Hollywood Hype,” 5/27/04)

· 84% of Americans polled said the environment will be a factor in their vote in November. 35% said it would be a “major factor.” (“Yale poll shows no need for Hollywood Hype,” 5/27/04)

· 84% of Americans polled said the Unites States should enact stricter emissions and pollution standards for business and industry. (“Yale University Releases National Poll on the Environment” 5/25/04)

· 67% of American soled say the US government does not do enough about the environment and should do more. (“Yale University Releases National Poll on the Environment” 5/25/04)

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule….

(from “Protecting America’s National Forests, Saving the Last Wild 30%” Revised Edition)

Issued in January 2001 the Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects 58.5 million acres of wild national forest land from most commercial logging and road-building. With more than one-half of America's national forests already open to logging, mining, and drilling, the rule was intended to preserve the last third of undeveloped forests as a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation, and a heritage for future generations. It:

· ...Protects 58.5 million acres of national forest land in 39 states, including intact old-growth temperate Rainforests in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

· ...Maintains current public access and recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, hunting and fishing

· ...Preserves critical habitat for fish and wildlife, including more than 1,600 threatened, endangered, or sensitive plant and animal species

· ...Safeguards clean water from forest headwaters and streams, the source of drinking water for more than 60 million Americans

· ...Allows for actively managing lands, when necessary, to restore ecological processes, provide habitat for endangered species, or avert catastrophic wildfire

· ...Maintains access to state and private property within national forests

· The Roadless Area Conservation Rule resulted from the most inclusive public rulemaking process ever, involving the input of:

q Seven Federal agencies

q More than 180 Native American tribes

q Over 600 public meetings held nationwide – attended by 25,000

q Half a million public comments on the initial proposal and 1.1 million comments on the final proposal – 95% of which supported the proposal

q Seven separate hearings held before the US House and Senate committees and subcommittees.

· A 2001 poll showed broad bi-partisan support within the 67% of those supporting the policy; including 76% of democrats, 66% of independents and 58% of Republicans.

· As well as maintaining clean air, natural habitats for fish and wildlife and providing sources of clean drinking water, recreational activities in national forests generate five times the revenue of logging– currently US Parks and woodlands provide an estimate $100 billion in recreational benefits and nearly 330,000 jobs a year.

Urban Areas and Pollution (From Pentagon’s Climate Change Talking Points 3/1/04)

· More than 15% of U.S. children are at risk for brain damage and learning disabilities due to mercury exposure in the womb – coal burning power plants are the biggest man made source or mercury.

· Found most commonly in paint, lead is most dangerous to young children whose growing bodies absorb more lead than adults – causing brain damage, learning disabilities, joint pain and concentration problems.

· Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease – affecting an estimated 5 million children, with the highest death rates among African Americans aged 15-24.