Survey: Should Danni Be Stoned or Sainted?

A better article on Fox would have been real-life, practical tips for not using your car, buying gas, biking, etc.

Neither stoned nor sainted. She's doing a good, but entirely unremarkable thing. The problem here, truely, is Fox News and the sensationalism inherent in their reporting.

I would file this under "celebrating mediocrity".

Thousands (tens of thousands?Millions worldwide?,,.I'm no stats whiz) of college students go without ANY use of gas all summer so why is it headline fodder all of a sudden? Must be a slow news week, what with the Olympics going on and everything.

Well, good for her being in college and still being able to afford a car, yet choosing to not buy gas. Very news worthy.
Makes me almost forget about the two wars we're fighting, banks going belly up, food costs soaring, the Olympics, and the Media and Government turning a blind eye to just about everything that actually effects the public.

Seriously, our grandparents are rolling over in their graves. Anyone remember the Depression or WW2? Real sacrifice?

I'm off to towel off from my bike ride home from work in the rain. Someone call Fox News! I'm a hero too, right?

I agree that tons of people are already going without gas, but don't blame this girl for Fox's decision to air her particular story - that's not her fault.

All in all, I think this story is great because it raises awareness of people doing something about our addiction to oil.

The problem is FOX news and the general mediocrity of the US that actually thinks this is something remarkable.

I have not been in a car or any kind in over a MONTH. I'm also relatively wealthy (100K+ a year) just to prove it's not a money thing. Where's my sainthood? Oh - I'm not doing it to prove anything, it's normal where I live, so who the hell cares?

Guys - this woman should be patted on the back, what she's doing is fine.

The problem here is very obvious - it is FOX news. FOX news are the people that turned a minor, but positive development into a three ring circus with TreeHugger hating TreeHugger. Just look at the kind of comments that the conversation devolved into!

This is what FOX news specializes in, and it is completely deliberate and many of you took the bait. The reason FOX news decided to cover this story is to make the girl look ridiculous and to piss people like you off.

Leave it at that. If you must get angry, get angry at FOX.

Why blast Fox News for doing a report like this? Newsflash: Not all Fox News watchers are sheep who buy everything Fox New says, and some of them like me are green or at least trying to be. To me going green has saved money, and that is what should be broadcast to the masses. They (Fox viewers) are not all closed minded, and if going green is going to appeal to the masses, certainly Fox News' millions of viewers should be included. I didn't see anyone else running this story.

I voted Other. It's good that some sensationalism reaches the drone masses, but in our world it's completely "meh".

I think it's great what she did but there are lots of people out there who don't even have cars who do this every single day for years.
I agree with Phyliss V, Fox should have done a feature on how to use your car less, commuting by bike tips, etc and maybe included a snippet of her "success" story but it would have been ever better to interview people who sold their cars and just went car-free.
I have cut down on the amount I drive but I know I still have a long way to go.

I think the readers of treehugger have been really harsh. While Ms. Brancaccio's actions might seem obvious to us treehugger readers, this was a Fox News story, which has a completely different audience. Her actions might inspire people who do not benefit from the wisdom of treehugger to take greater advantage of available public transportation or to get more exercise. I live in Brooklyn, which has public transport, yet the people in my neighborhood inexplicably tend to have cars and drive.

Can I be on TV since I moved closer to work to save gas? I even ride my bike sometimes. Fox is the most trustworthy, fair and balanced network ever. Its nice to have attractive female republicans on TV all the time. Just wish I didn't have to see Bill all the time.

I wouldn't realize it if I wasn't stoned myself but the woman in the picture looks pretty stoned ( Yes, I understand that my definition isn't the same as the title's.)

It sounds exactly like an Onion article.

ANYONE that watches fox news should be stoned to death.

Not everyone who watches FOX news is a sheep, but most people I know who get their news predominantly from TV sources tend in that direction, my parents among them. Sit my down at a table and ask him what he thinks on any issue, and he has reasonable and nuanced opinions. Sit him in front of O'Reilly and he turns into a crazy man for the next day or so.

From most of the comments, one would have to wonder why everyone doesn't get this upset over the other "green" stories that are run throught the news. Whats the big deal about composting, recycling or water conservation? It s all actually a big deal and important. The real problem here are the "holier than thou" percentage of any movement who have to say that what everyone else does isn't good enough or isn't as great as what they're doing. As far as news outlets go, I watch FOX, CNN, and MSNBC. They are all heavily opiniated and sensationalized in regards to there reporting. The real issue is that FOX ran this story and FOX is seen as right wing while the environmental movement has traditionally been left leaning. IF the story had run on CNN or MSNBC we wouldn't be having this discussion.

FOX NEWS DISCOVERS WORLD IS ROUND -

This is so funny. There are over 2 billion people who live on less than one tank of gas ( or less of a carbon footprint ).

FOX news and their sheep audience should all be forced to pull their head out of the suburban sand of fear in which they live. Come to Portland Oregon. This one tank girl "Danni" is cute and the news is cute. Sex sells. But there are a whole ton of people here who use a lot less gasoline all year, and we are so much more attractive.

thespyofcharles says "ANYONE that watches fox news should be stoned to death."

hahahahaahah... couldn't agree more!

about fox news being the most fair network ever... you got to be kidding rite? ever watched bill???

anyway if everybody did use only a single tank of gas in the whole summer then this country will have to change its name to Denmark or Netherlands... if they used only 1/4 tank then we shall change it to Ethiopia or Rawanda...

Listen - it's the news. This same girl was on a local news station (and it's not FOX). Many of the treehugger community wants a spotlight on things people can do to help the environment. Then, when someone makes FOX news, you scream and kick that because it's FOX, they were demonizing her.

News coverage of someone doing something for the environment is a good thing. For what it's worth, doing without your car is indeed NOT the norm, which is why it made the news. Open your eyes and see what the world sees, this girl is doing something different. Many of us are as well.

Why is this news worthy? Because, it's a cute gimmick.

Does being a cute gimmick mean it's not a good choice? No.

The reason that she is on the news is that she had the good sense to wrap an environmentally sound decision in a contest like method. I think it's great that she's getting press from it.

She isn't single-handedly changing America's view on gasoline dependence, but that wasn't her goal. She challenged herself to use less gas, it's no different than CNN's (awesome) reports on people who challenged themselves to loose weight. The same arguments could be said there: "Why is this news? Millions don't have enough to eat and it's news that someone chooses to eat less?" In a way, yes, it's news because it's basically a personal interest story, one with a green slant.

She isn't being lauded as the most green person ever to not walk the earth (for fear of trampling the grass), just as someone who took an interest and wanted to challenge her current lifestyle.

Ease up and if you are doing better, try to be constructive and encouraging, then it might just catch on.

I can understand why so many people crap on Danni. Danni set out a goal and did something and the press noticed and did a fluff piece on her. What she should have done is whined on a blog about how the world isn't focusing on her because that would have set a much better message that would have been better received.

The answer is neither, but FOX should be stoned for thinking this was unusual news. ;)

Frankly, Doug, I'd say she should be getting on a blog and whine about how the world IS focussing on her.

All of the previous posters have made good points, and there are naturally going to be some people that this offends and some that think nothing of it. What bothers me is the gross sensationalism of the piece.

"ONE TANK WONDER" the ticker proclaims. I had to squint to convince myself that there wasn't an exclamation point after this. And the word choice is poor--she's not "surviving" on one tank of gas--she's conserving, or making do, or getting by, or any of a number of less dramatic, less sensational terms. In most cases, you're not going to die or spiral into poverty if you use less gas. In fact, you're probably going to spend less money (in addition to the benefit to your health), so the headline should claim that Ms. Brancaccio is benefiting from her one-tank practice, and not cast it in the pejorative light of "survival" mode.

I suspect that what is bothering those who are miffed by the piece is the overhyping of it. And those who are not bothered are desensitized by overexposure to media hype.

This girl is setting a great example. She went public with this with her blog and it got picked up by Fox News. It's a great demonstration of what can be done. I really don't understand why this would be controversial.

it was unusual news because it wasn't being reported anywhere else.

also, ok, so yeah, so what? millions, if not billions, of people manage this feat and more every year. the difference? she didn't HAVE to, she chose to, to see if she could. she wasn't trying to make anyone else do it, wasn't trying to get famous, just testing herself.
it's good she got a little fluff peice on FOX, so what if FOX news is generally crap? the people watching are likely much in NEED of a story of how one person was able to do this wonderful thing, and don't you think maybe you could actually walk to the mailbox once in a while, America?
she shouldn't be sainted or demonized, just a little pat on the back and send her about her merry way like any one else.

everyone who seemed to get so angry about a little fluff piece on a news program they don't even watch? get over yourselves, jealousy isn't a pretty shade of green.

My last post was censored, Spy Of Charles' should have been censored as well. I guess it's OK to put through the left wing zingers.
The Lame Stream Media (is that better?) is always pushing consumption. So here's an example of someone doing what they can with less.
Lots of whiners beating up on Fox.

vsk 2nd try