CNN Goes Nuts For Coal

From the Wonk Room.

As primaries are held today in the coal-rich but job-poor states of Kentucky and West Virginia, CNN -- whose presidential debates have been sponsored by the coal industry front group ACCCE -- is spending significant air time promoting coal-industry spin. The Wonk Room has previously highlighted CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi's exploitative promotion of coal-to-liquids technology. Today, Velshi brought the rest of the CNN team into his coal-propaganda orbit.

CNN's American Morning show was drenched with segments promoting coal above the chyron "MAKING GAS FROM COAL: REDUCING DEPENDENCE ON OIL." Velshi even handed out coal to hosts John Roberts and Kyra Phillips. Phillips chirpily exclaimed, "We've got hope. We're going to make gas out of coal." Roberts introduced a segment on an eccentric inventor developing coal gasification -- not the same as coal-to-liquids -- technology by saying "We have huge supplies of it: coal!"

On "Your World Today," senior correspondent Allan Chernoff confused coal-to-liquids with coal gasification and intoned, "Environmentalists want to get rid of coal. That's not happening." On CNN Newsroom, Brianna Keilar called the "250-year supply" of coal "seductive" before begging Ali to show off his lump of coal some more.

Watch video from today's coalfest:

Deborah Feyerick submitted a report promoting the work of an eccentric inventor working on coal gasification technology -- which converts coal into what is known as synthesis gas ("syngas"). This syngas can be used in coal-to-liquids technology, but it is not a liquid fuel like gasoline. John Roberts introduced the segment by incorrectly claiming "this man is turning a lump of carbon into gasoline for your car."

There's much more video in the Wonk Room.