Why are some LIers green with anger at Newsday?

Yesterday, Newsday had a front-page article about how harmful the chemicals and pesticides used in conventional lawn maintenance are to the environment and to us as individuals. Organic lawn care was given as a good option for reducing the dangers associated with these products. As readers of canvas will know, this is a story that we already did in our May issue

You may think that this post is going to be about the ethics involved in one media outlet seemingly piggybacking onto another media outlet’s story. It’s not.

Unfortunately, big guys picking over the little guys for material they themselves are not nimble enough to procure is pretty standard operating procedure sometimes. Further, ideas can’t be copyrighted, only words can. So perhaps, Newsday got the idea from canvas. Perhaps they even used canvas‘ story for background. Other local media outlets have used our material as well. If that is what actually happened, then I guess I should say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

So then, Newsday did nothing ethically wrong in writing this story. Quite the contrary, in fact. As editor of canvas, I’m always pleased to see ideas being shared. To see the spread and promotion of information that is to our larger public benefit is always a coup–no matter who had the idea first.

No, this post is about something quite different. This post is about the disturbing number of comments the Newsday story received online. While there are comments from people who are both genuinely concerned and, at times, scared about the poisons we are pouring into the ground there were just as many nasty, snide, ignorant and belligerent posts as well.

It seems that some folks are very angry about being told their lush lawns are less of a priority than preventing diseases like cancer or assorted birth defects.

What a sad commentary on some of our fellow Long Islanders.

It makes me realize that canvas is lucky to have a loyal following of folks who are specifically looking for honest information whenever they can get it. Having worked for big newspapers like New York Times and, yes, Newsday too, I know that being the biggest guy in town means that you have to be all things to all people. As such, it’s sometimes harder to give space to patently unpopular issues.

This is one case, however, where I hope Goliath doesn’t back down. A large group of Newsday’s readers may not want to hear it, but the truth still has to be told.

To read the story, click here