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West Virginia Gazette: Word play: Gas industry protests use of 'F word', but its PR machine takes advantage of focus on 'fracking'
January 27, 2012 by Ken Ward Jr.
In this Jan. 23, 2012 file photo, Gillie Waddington of Enfield, N.Y., raises a fist during rally against hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, N.Y. President Barack Obama the f- word during his recent State of the Union speech nor did he mention the technology used to get it, known commonly as fracking. That's because the word has become a lightning rod. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)
Well, The Associated Press spent 888 words toying with whether the use of one word – 'fracking' was appropriate when the media covers the continuing controversies over natural gas drilling. The thrust of the story is that industry is upset with the phrase, and blamed environmental activists for the media's continued use of it:
The word is "fracking" – as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock.
It's not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn't use it in his State of the Union speech – even as he praised federal subsidies for it.
The word sounds nasty, and environmental advocates have been able to use it to generate opposition – and revulsion – to what they say is a nasty process that threatens water supplies.
"It obviously calls to mind other less socially polite terms, and folks have been able to take advantage of that," said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on drilling issues.
One of the chants at an anti-drilling rally in Albany earlier this month was "No fracking way!"
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