As part of its campaign for fair and balanced journalism on the U.S. seafood industry, the National Fisheries Institute launched its “Truth Squad” Web site.
The site is a component of the media accountability program recently launched by the McLean, Va.-based industry group to ensure that mainstream media coverage of the seafood industry is done in a balanced manner.
The site profiles environmental NGOs t that routinely distort health and food-safety information about seafood.
The site shows contradictions in the information released by NGOs and provides examples, and urges reporters to ask themselves why they are using sources like Greenpeace when NFI can point to examples of them lying, Gavin Gibbons, media relations director, told SeafoodSource Monday.
“Information that comes out of these groups is erroneous and obscures the real seafood story,” said Gibbons. “[The site is] another tool, another resource we’re hoping reporters will use to get the correct view of seafood.”
The site was launched Friday, but will not be fully operational until Monday or Tuesday.
Last week, NFI released an open letter to media outlets urging them to provide balanced coverage of the seafood industry and to view with skepticism information originating from environmental groups.
ABC’s John Stossel mentioned the letter in a recent commentary titled, “How Can We Still Be Alive?” “Reporters give credulous attention to alarmists, while treating business spokesmen like liars,” he said.
