What is fracking? Journalism students explain with catchy song

(Mikheyev Viktor)

The controversial technique for extracting natural gas, known as fracking, has stoked debate around the world after stories of flammable tap water and an initial vote by French lawmakers on May 11 to ban the process. To explain exactly what fracking is, and the complexities behind it, a group of students have created a cartoon video complete with a song.

The video is the creation of Explainer.net the public face of the ‘Studio 20 Building A Better Explainer Project'. Launched in 2010, the project is run by students at New York University's Graduate School of Journalism and aims to better explain the background complexities of major current news stories.

The latest video from Explainer.net titled ‘ My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)' was uploaded to YouTube on May 10. The video features cartoon style illustrations of the issues involved as well as catchy explanative lyrics. Overall, the video takes a relatively balanced approach to the issue, explaining that the regulations surrounding the process are, in America at least, severely lacking.  

Other videos, from both sides of the debate, explaining what exactly ‘fracking' is are also available on YouTube, some examples of which include:

Hydraulic Fracturing
Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing
Fracking Hell: The Untold Story 

More information about the Studio 20 Building a Better Explainer Project can be found via the website at: http://explainer.net

The video for ‘My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)' can be viewed on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q4 .