Fracking Pennsylvania: Flirting with Disaster
Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D., is an award-winning social issues journalist and the author of 16 other books, most of which fuse historical and contemporary social issues. Among his books is Before the First Snow, a critically-acclaimed novel that looks at what happens when government and energy companies form a symbiotic relationship, using ‘cheaper, cleaner’ fuel and the lure of jobs in a depressed economy but at the expense of significant health and environmental impact.  He is professor emeritus of mass communications and journalism, and a former newspaper and magazine reporter and editor, and multi-screen multi-media writer–producer. He was recognized in 2012 by the Pennsylvania Press Club with the Communicator of Achievement award for lifetime achievement in journalism and public service.  He is vice-president and co-founder of the Northeast Penn-sylvania Homeless Alliance, vice-president of the Central Susquehanna chapter of the ACLU, a member of the board of the Keystone Beacon Community for healthcare coordination, and is active in numerous social causes. He was a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, and was active in emergency management. Dr. Brasch is featured columnist for Liberal Opinion Week, senior correspondent for the American Reporter, senior editor for OpEdNews, and an editorial board member of the Journal of Media Law and Ethics. He was president of the Pennsylvania Press Club and the Keystone State professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, vice-president of the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association, and founding coordinator of Pennsylvania Journalism Educators. He is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Authors Guild, and The News-paper Guild (CWA/AFL-CIO). He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Contemporary Authors, Who’s Who in the Media, and Who’s Who in Education. He was honored by San Diego State University as a Points of Excellence winner. At Bloomsburg University, he earned the Creative Arts Award, the Creative Teaching Award, and was named an Outstanding Student Advisor. He received the first annual Dean’s Salute to Excellence in 2002, and a second award in 2007, and the Maroon and Gold Quill Award for nonfiction. He is the 2004 recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Service Award. He is married, has two children, and is surrounded by animals and the rural beauty of northeastern Pennsylvania.