Charita Goshay: Encroachment on media an ominous moment

As the smoke clears in East Palestine, the initial slow drip of information about the ongoing environmental disaster caused by the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train made a bad situation worse because wherever there's a vacuum, people will create their own narrative.

The news has been slow in coming, giving an opening to social media, which has already gone wild with doomsday scenarios and wacky conspiracy theories — up to and including race-based genocide.

No, really.

Meanwhile, in a blatant act of arrogance, Norfolk Southern skipped a public meeting last week.

The situation certainly demands much more attention, given that it has the potential to be one of the worst environmental disasters since the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. The derailment of hazardous materials could potentially impact 30 million people, the Ohio River Basin, and those who rely upon it for their water consumption.

Perhaps there might be more interest had the spill taken place in a rural diner during an election year.

Environmentalists have tagged East Palestine as a "sacrifice zone," as in working-class and poor communities where people have little say and even less power over what happens to their environment.

Altar of avarice

You don't have to be a chemist to know that vinyl chloride, ethlyene glyco monobutyl ether, or isobutylene are not substances which should be ingested by living creatures. Like Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," and New York's Love Canal, East Palestine, it appears, has been sacrificed on an altar of avarice.

In a bid to appease investors, the railroad industry has been peeling back regulations designed to make transport safer, including a 2015 Obama administration rule which required trains bearing hazardous and flammable materials to have two or more crew members and be outfitted with electronic braking systems instead of air brakes, which were patented by George Westinghouse back in 1869.

Electronically controlled pneumatic brakes can stop a train markedly quicker than conventional brakes — but they also cost more.

Train safety:Trains are becoming less safe. Why the Ohio derailment disaster could happen more often

Through a one-two punch of political donations and lobbying, the rule was watered down during the Trump administration, creating the kinds of allowances which endanger people for whom the sound of a train whistle is part of the soundtrack of their lives.

The Biden administration also shares some blame for not acting more aggressively to restore those safety regulations, even as hazardous train derailments have increased.

A serious violation

The nature of the relationship between the press and government is such that many politicians would just as soon live without it, even as they understand the necessity.

However, the arrest of a reporter trying to do his job at a press conference on the derailment ought to be of grave concern to every American. But it isn't, because the media has been effectively demonized.

It is not at all unusual for reporters to do broadcasts at the rear of a press conference. Yet Evan Lambert, a reporter for NewsNation, was arrested by some overzealous police officers — a clear and blatant violation of the First Amendment.

Lambert was placed in handcuffs and jailed on charges of criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. Last week, Ohio Attorney Genenral Dave Yost dismissed the charges, stating: “While journalists could conceivably be subject to criminal charges for trespassing in some situations, this incident is not one of them. The reporter was lawfully present at a press conference called by the governor of the state. His conduct was consistent with the purpose of the event and his role as a reporter.”

Water safety:Officials say East Palestine train derailment has not hurt Stark County water supply

Here's the thing: Censorship never stops at the people and media outlets you don't like. NewsNation is an independent outlet, but that didn't prevent Lambert from getting perp-walked like he mugged DeWine who, to his credit, condemned the action.

Though the charges were dropped, what was done to Lambert is a violation of every reporter. It's also a violation of your right to know. Misinformation and conspiracy theory rush in where factual reporting is absent.

Editor's note: This column has been updated with corrected information.

Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Reporter's arrest during train disaster impedes your right to know