Canada PoliticsThe anti-Keystone ad that NBC wouldn’t air sparks debate on both sides of the border
An anti-Keystone pipeline ad in the United States, that the NBC refused to air, has evoked some strong opinions both in the United States and in Canada.
Not about the pipeline, per se, but about the ad and whether or not the network should have banned it.
The ad, created by NextGen Climate Action is now on YouTube.
The 'Reject Keystone XL' producers had purchased air time for Tuesday evening during a Tonight Show interview with U.S. President Barack Obama.
NBC, however, refused the commercial because they considered an attack of a personal nature against an individual or a company.
NextGen isn't buying the explanation, however. Executive Director Tom Adams told the San Francisco Gate that he suspects the decision had more to do with the fossil fuel industry's $153 million investment in television ad spending.
[ Related: Canada's U.S. ambassador refutes Obama's Keystone claims ]
Credo-Action, a social change organization in the United States, has launched a petition to get the ad on-air.
NBC has been running misleading ads by the fossil fuel industry on station after station and burying Washington DC decision makers with pro-pipeline propaganda. The rejected ad is clearly not “merely” a personal attack on an individual or a business. TransCanada is a foreign oil company that has spent tens of millions of dollars — including on television ads — to insert itself into the heart of the U.S. policy making on one of the most pressing issues of our generation, climate change.
It is unacceptable for the network to disingenuously exploit this policy, which is meant to protect individuals from spurious attacks, in order to block messaging from climate change activists that counter TransCanada’s false claims.
As one might imagine, the oil industry, in this country, has a different take.
The Alberta Enterprise Group — a non-profit business collective — said the ad was very negative.
"We’re not afraid of some criticism in the form of advertising from environmental groups in the United States, but where we draw the line is when that ad is, one, takes a personal cut at executives from TransCanada, and two, when it’s factually incorrect," the organization's Vice President David MacLean told iNews 880 in Edmonton.
Claudia Cattaneo of the Financial Post also wrote about the ad, in her column published on Friday. She argues that it's misleading because it doesn't mention that the U.S. Congress and the U.S. State Department say that "the pipeline is good for the U.S. economy, supports job creation and will enable U.S. energy independence.
Moreover, she says the actor playing Russ Girling looks nothing like him.
[ Related: Harper insists Keystone XL is important for jobs ]
In her column, Cattaneo quotes Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver who also isn't a big fan of the ad.
"It is evident from the bizarre advertorial’s contempt for the truth that its sponsor wishes to mislead the public, ridicule and demonize the project and tarnish Canada’s strong environmental record," Oliver said in an email.
"This is unfortunate since the project would enhance North America’s energy security, create jobs and contribute to environmental stewardship on both sides of the border."
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