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5/26 2021 Steven Donziger


    Steven Donziger, a lawyer who stood up to Chevron cooperation is currently under house arrest. For the last two decades, they have been battling over an oil spill that had happened in Ecuador. It blew my mind that Chevron was purposefully ignoring the situation because they knew that the people didn't have a voice. Eventually, he won an $18 billion case against the corporation. Yet, Chevron has not paid a single penny. Donziger has a serious following among environmentalists, and his supporters claim that he is being vilified for unmasking the truth of an inconsiderate decision. On the other hand, Chevron is trying to sue Donziger for manipulating evidence and has continuously painted him as nothing short of a criminal.  In this class, we were split into three groups, each searching articles of Steven Donziger in NYT, WP, and WSJ. I went on NYT and this was the first time finding out about the situation.  NYT mentions the conflict between the two; however, information regarding chevrons' unacceptable choices was not informed. After sharing ideas with my classmates, I found out that the news companies depict Chevron as a corporation that has no right to be criticized. The fact that Donziger has marked his 600th day under house arrest and was forced to lose his law license is inconceivable. None of the background information Mr.Paterson had explained was on "popular" news articles. Moreover, news companies like "the Hill" had headlines saying "justice for Steven Donziger Case". they explain the reality and support him. Although small companies report such cases, most of the audiences are lawyers and or politically involved people; therefore, never seen by the majority of people. 


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