Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Media Watch

The Metamorphosis of Chuck Nevius and Mainstream Acceptance of Cycling

By Aaron Bialick | Jul 29, 2011 | 10 Comments

It’s safe to assume that one year ago few bicycle riders who read the Chronicle would have ever imagined that Chuck Nevius would one day declare: “Bikes are the future. We need to do a better job of dealing with it.” But that’s exactly what happened yesterday. Nevius’ sudden embrace of “the inevitable conclusion” is […]

On Bicycle Coverage and Media Bias

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Feb 11, 2011 | No Comments

Since I’ve been producing Streetfilms (at last count, 196 of them), rarely do I come across work in our field that I find monumentally enlightening, savvy, or high-caliber. But the latest blog post from David Hembrow’s “A View from the Cycle Path…” contains an embedded video produced by Mark Wagenbuur that left me in awe. […]

New Report Examines the Media’s Role in the Gas Tax Debate

By Elana Schor | May 26, 2010 | No Comments

(Chart: University of Vermont Transportation Research Center) The success of state-level plans to increase gas taxes is tied to the media’s portrayal of the proposals in question, with narratives tied to "crumbling infrastructure" and "economic progress" showing more success than those emphasizing long-term transportation budget gaps, according to a new report released by the University […]

In Texas, One Newspaper Laments the Highway Lanes Not Built

By Elana Schor | Jan 25, 2010 | 2 Comments

The Transportation Enhancements program, which requires states to set aside 10 percent of their federal transport money for new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, among other projects, turns 19 years old this year. But you’d almost never know it after reading Saturday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in which the paper tallies — with no shortage of alarm […]

Nevius Does a Great Job Blaming the Victim and Distorting Data

By Matthew Roth | Oct 15, 2009 | 13 Comments

C.W. Nevius’s column in the Chronicle today ("S.F. a dangerous city for careless pedestrians") is a great example of blaming the victim, ignoring data, and misrepresenting the experts you quote. But it wouldn’t be Nevius otherwise, would it? Here’s the gist: Nevius says that high pedestrian collision numbers in San Francisco are the fault of […]

Did the Chronicle Forget SF Has a Transit-First Policy?

By Matthew Roth | Mar 3, 2009 | 7 Comments

33 Stanyan making the turn at Market and Clayton Though Chronicle Watch can at times be interesting, today’s post is misleading, even oxymoronic. The headline "Muni Buses Delay Traffic at Intersection" implies cars are more important, though San Francisco’s Transit First policy mandates the MTA and other agencies prioritize the movement of buses, light rail […]