What is Misinformation

What is Misinformation?

Although any group related to hydraulic fracturing, may not go out of their way to mis-inform the public, there have been instances in which accuracy has been sacrificed for artistic license. Further, although a group publishing information may commit to providing complete objectivity, it is not possible for a group with interest in hydraulic fracturing to produce purely objective information. For example, a gas drilling company will contract an environmental impact assessment for a drill site in a specific area. Depending on the methods and procedures, of the engineering firm carrying out the assessment, the results will likely vary from another firm carrying out the same inspection. These differences can be caused by the varying educations, environmental views, or even company policy. Although, on a small level these differences can be minimal, they can be found as larger discrepencies in the realm of public information. When a piece of information, regarding hydraulic fracturing, represents inherently biased or inaccurate claims it can be regarded as misinformation.

Misinformation has recently become a large problem as hydraulic fracturing has seen recent media and political attention.  Some states have found economic success in hydraulic fracturing such as North Dakota and Pennsylvania.  As the natural gas industry expands so will their influence on public knowledge.  Due to increased public knowledge of hydraulic fracturing there has been a larger focus on gaining the support of the public from both directly impacted areas as well as indirectly impacted areas.

Visual Example

One of the easiest ways to increase the attention of potential viewers is to use images, or visual data, to educate the public.  From the outside perspective visual information can help portray the various ways groups of interest present their swing on hydraulic fracturing information.

Presented here is an animated cross section of a hydraulic fracturing well.  This image uses a narrow range of colors and does not take scale into account with its components in the image.  By portraying hydraulic fractures mitigating from horizontal wells thousands of feet deep up to groundwater aquifers in the first few hundred feet below the surface the author does not seem to have much focus on geo-technical accuracy.   What this image may do well is entice someone to reject the hydraulic fracturing process because this image may re-enforce certain false claims that exist regarding groundwater contamination.

  This image, produced by Energyfortomorro.org, portrays a different hydraulic fracturing from the top of its title to the bottom of its well.  In this picture there is a fairly similar narrow range of colors but the scale in which each color is used is clearly different.  Another important aspect of this image is the scale of the components within the diagram.  Here, there are labels that designate the depth of the well at certain points.  Because the underground distance is so much greater than that at the surface there is a closeup of the well-casing and fresh water aquifer it passes through.

Misinformation has made its way into not just the visual representations of hydraulic fracturing but also into the methods in which data is collected and produced in written form as well.