Title: Fixing Agriculture (Dec, 2008)
Summary:
Tom Vilsack, newly appointed head of the Agriculture Department, is being criticized on both ends of the sustainable farming issue, environmentalists say he too lenient on corporate farming and corporate farming has its doubts about his loyalty to the status quo.
Topic: Sustainable agriculture
Category: Mainstream Journalistic
What is it: News article from the New York Times
Publication Information: New York Times, December 19, 2008 Friday
Author: No Author provided
Location: http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed: 1/29/2009 8:45 pm
Support:
Tom Vilsack: Head of The Department of Agriculture
Bill Clinton: former president
George W. Bush: former president
Supporters of sustainable agriculture
Partisans for farm subsidies
These sources work together to give context to Mr.Visack’s current office and responsibilities. Supporters of sustainable agriculture are pressuring him to reform, partisans and lobbyists are worried he will not uphold current policies and the public is eager to see if he will be effective on either end. Meanwhile, activists representing protected forests are urging him to honor Clinton’s forest preservation legislation and reverse Bush’s changes to the “no road” bill. President Obama has said he wants to improve wildlife conservation but has made no official statement, and Mr.Vilsack will need the president’s support to uphold the “no road” policy put in place by the Clinton Administration.
Source Analysis:
The New York Times has one of the biggest readerships in the country at 14 million, and while they attempt to appeal to all citizens they tend to lean slightly to the left pushing for reform and liberal policies. The New York Times has supported the Obama campaign and most of its decisions but, they seem to be on the fence about Tom Vilsack and his ability to juggle his new job and the opposing pressures. The New York Times 13.9 million online hits a month.
Usefulness:
This article came out just before Obama’s inauguration, and his choice for head of the Agriculture Department seemed to be one of his only question marks although little is mentioned about how the previouse head handled the same problems. This piece was writen as a political comentary in order to inform its readers of the Obama addministration‘s stance on environmental affairs and offer hints to how they will deal with former president Bush’s policies.
Work Cited:
Filed under: Source Notes
