Journalism or an ad from the Visitor’s Bureau?
It was announced a few weeks ago that Grand Rapids was awarded a Green City status by the US Chamber of Commerce and the Siemens Corporation. We critiqued that announcement in a pervious posting and now the Grand Rapids Press is continuing to promote the idea that this city is sustainable without providing much evidence to support that claim.
The front page of yesterday’s Press has the headline “Greentown, USA?” The lead story was only about 50 words long and stated that this new identity was due to the recent Chamber award and a 2007 United Nations University designation, which called Grand Rapids a “Regional Center for Enterprise in sustainable development.
No explanation of this designation is provided in the Press article, just 6 pictures with captions that somehow demonstrate the city’s commitment to sustainability. The pictures are of the local recycling program, rooftop planting, electricity from methane, LEED certified buildings, a new citywide sewage/storm-water run-off system and a new Meijer store on 28th street and Kalamazoo.
The obvious first question is, how does Meijer’s new store construction demonstrate sustainability? While Meijer may have their origins in West Michigan, the company is a regional food distributor that sells mostly non-organic and processed food stuff. How anyone could defend that Meijer stores promote sustainability is almost laughable.
However, the larger problem is that the Press in the case is not practicing journalism. They monopoly daily paper is merely presenting information from sources of power – the City of Grand Rapids, the United Nations University and the US Chamber of Commerce – without questioning or verifying the claims made in this so-called article.
The Press should have followed the intent of the headline (Greentown, USA?) and actually questioned the idea that Grand Rapids is actually promoting sustainability. Without any questioning the story might as well be an ad from the Grand Rapids Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 
It is laughable indeed to claim that Meijer is sustainable–especially that particular store. Meijer asked for and received tax breaks to build that store (including brownfield credits) to address pollution that Meijer itself caused at the site:
http://www.mediamouse.org/news/2009/06/meijer-tax-break-key-services.php