Property Rights. Case Study Denton.

Let’s look at how NBC News portrayed the local fracking ban in Denton:

Words used to describe those opposed to fracking: 

• NBC’s words: 
  • not a lot of experience
  • committed
  • driven
  • “inspiring victory for grassroots organizing and local democracy”
• The supporters description of the opposition:
  • “were in Vladimir Putin’s pocket and were trying to protect Russia’s share of the global natural gas market”
  • People in Denton ” lacked the sophistication to address technical matters like fracking”

Words used to describe those supporting fracking:

• NBC’s words:
  • “the views of ordinary people don’t count for much”
  • ruthless conservative power grab
  • “runs roughshod over the authority of local governments to determine the direction of their own communities”
• The fracking opponents description of the supporters:
  • . “I was worried about fracking to start with. But now I’m worried about democracy.”

The trigger that started the opposition to fracking: Drilling wells in “quick succession across the street from a playground, a hospital, and a row of homes”

NBC News | What Happened in Denton. The War on Local Democracy