Front Group Spokesman Gets a Pass on Democracy Now!

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The usually-stellar Pacifica news show "Democracy Now!" is the latest in a long list of media outlets that have quoted or featured Greenpeace activist turned industry consultant Patrick Moore on nuclear power issues, without disclosing that he's paid by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). When introducing Moore, host Amy Goodman noted his past association with Greenpeace and simply said he "now serves as co-chair of the pro-nuclear Clean and Safe Energy Coalition." The other guest during the segment, anti-nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman, briefly mentioned that Moore has "signed up with the nuclear power industry," but there was no follow-up or clarification on that point. As the Columbia Journalism Review pointed out back in 2006, "Part of [NEI's] thinking, surely, was that the press would peg" Moore and fellow NEI consultant Christine Todd Whitman "as dedicated environmentalists who have turned into pro-nuke cheerleaders, rather than as paid spokespeople."