The Times Green Lies
Watts Up picks up on the Northeast passage story
One newspaper is making the most of this “first ever event”, according to a story in the UK Register:
The Times has liberally papered London underground carriages with a fascinating new ad campaign. One poster shows a ship navigating some treacherous icy waters, with the accompanying copy reading:
Climate change has allowed the Northeast Passage to be used as a commercial shipping route for the first time.
According to the ad copy:
To help you navigate the changing world we have more dedicated science and environment correspondents than the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail or Independent.
Only one problem: The Northeast Passage has been opened for commerce since 1934 – and never ‘closed’.
Readers, especially those in the UK, I’d like to make a suggestion. Let the Times know they screwed up, not only for the journalistic failure, but also for the touting of the failure as advertising. Letters to the editor, letters to the managements, and to the advertising office might be a good start. If nobody calls them on it, they’ll never learn.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/services/contact_us/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/services/advertising/
There’s also the UK Advertising Standards Authority, that works to keep advertising legal, decent, honest and truthful. The ad being run by the Times is failing most of those points. Here’s where you can complain:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/
What I find interesting is that none of the other papers have picked up on their competitors ignorance, obviously staying within the green camaraderie is more important than humiliating your rival...
Comments
The adverts I really wonder about are the ones from the Carbon Trust. Very dodgy wording, and doubtless paid for out of my taxes.
Posted by: BrianSJ | October 8, 2009 7:49 AM
Well, my father who was described by his colleagues at his funeral as a 'scientist to his fingertips', ( and also as one of the top five in the world in his field), once said to me that ALL science reporting in the mass media was RUBBISH! Ever since I have tried to remember that useful piece of advice.
Posted by: Orde Solomons | October 8, 2009 12:31 PM
Well, my father who was described by his colleagues at his funeral as a 'scientist to his fingertips', ( and also as one of the top five in the world in his field), once said to me that ALL science reporting in the mass media was RUBBISH! Ever since I have tried to remember that useful piece of advice.
Posted by: Orde Solomons | October 8, 2009 12:31 PM
Complaint made to ASA.
Posted by: wonkotsane | October 11, 2009 10:16 AM