Ben Pile is a researcher who works with me and my colleagues on energy issues.  He was interested by my recent blog on the politics of shale gas, and came up with his own very interesting aperçu on the media coverage of the issue.  I thought I should share it with you.

He has been trying to compare the reaction of the media — and the BBC in particular — to the shale gas and wind farm campaigns respectively.

The BBC national coverage of anti-wind campaigns, he notes, has been all but silent, and fails to address the concerns of the campaigners themselves.  BBC local coverage reports the protests more accurately and fairly. It seems clear that a few hundred anti-fracking protesters from around the country can attract the attention of the national media, simply by making a very visual image — dressing up, banging drums, causing widespread…