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HomeKeith Crain

Keith Crain

Media Analysis

Automotive News staff struggle to transcend paper’s checkered past

May 30, 2025 Steve 2

The May 19th print edition of Automotive News ran two commentaries that debated California’s ability regulate pollution caused by the automobile industry. In the first commentary, Reporter Larry P. Vellequette (2025) acknowledged that the industry […]

Automotive News shows its bias
Media Analysis

Automotive News’ sense of urgency on climate change amounts to empty words

October 15, 2024 Steve 0

Automotive News (2024) recently posted the editorial, “Believe the storms: Climate change is real.” The piece has a decidedly retro quality because it makes an argument that major media outside the auto industry acknowledged long […]

Abandoned Chevrolet truck at Kestner homestead in Olympic Mountains, Washington
Media Analysis

Auto media are still not taking climate change seriously enough

July 22, 2021 Steve 1

Ezra Klein (2021) recently commented that “it seems odd that we would just let the world burn.” As a case in point, after summarizing climate change’s escalating predations, he argued that even President Biden’s plan […]

Elon Musk discusses climate change when introducing Tesla Model 3
Current Events

A few thoughts on skepticism about an EV transition led by Tesla

May 12, 2021 Steve 2

Yesterday I came across a debate on a left-of-center political blog that sounded surprisingly similar to what I’ve seen in auto industry media. A number of commentators were quite skeptical about a rapid transition to […]

Automotive News shows its bias
Media Analysis

Automotive News backtracks on shift to electric vehicles

February 26, 2021 Steve 0

The editorial board of Automotive News sounds schizoid. Earlier this year an unsigned editorial argued that the “debate over the wisdom of converting the world’s automotive fleet from fossil fuels to electrical propulsion is now […]

Automotive News shows its bias
Media Analysis

Automotive News stops dragging its knuckles on climate change

February 5, 2021 Steve 0

A recent Automotive News editorial (2020) flatly declared that the planet “is warming at a dangerous rate, and the global auto industry has a major role to play in fixing the problem.” Another unsigned editorial […]

Elon Musk on Joe Rogan's podcast
Media Analysis

Elon Musk’s infamous interview: What the auto media missed

December 11, 2020 Steve 0

Joe Rogan’s (2018) podcast with Elon Musk may very well be the most infamous — and high-visibility — interview of an automotive executive ever conducted. Alas, the event received so much attention for the wrong […]

Auto News 2020 presidential race
Media Analysis

Automotive News shows its bias in 2020 presidential coverage

October 23, 2020 Steve 0

The auto industry’s leading trade journal has put its thumb on the scales in reporting about the 2020 presidential race. Keith Laing’s (2020) comparison of Donald Trump and Joe Biden uses biased language and a […]

Bird chatter about Keith Crain's retirement
Bird Chatter

Keith Crain and the next generation

August 1, 2019 Steve 0
Kestner homestead hay cutter seat
Media Analysis

Commentators agree Keith Crain doesn’t ‘get it’

March 20, 2019 Steve 0

An overwhelming majority of commentators took Keith Crain (2019) to task for a recent Automotive News column where he questioned the viability of a rapid shift to electric vehicles. “The horse farriers of the 19th […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
    Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
    July 17, 2026 8
  • 1956 Lincoln
    The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
    July 17, 2026 18
  • 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
    1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
    July 14, 2026 6
  • 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado
    Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?
    July 10, 2026 16
  • J. 'Kelly' Flory Jr.
    J. ‘Kelly’ Flory Jr.’s American Cars series is pricey but valuable
    July 10, 2026 4
  • 1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
    1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations
    July 7, 2026 10
  • Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
    June 25, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
Society of Automotive Historian award to Indie Auto

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  • Geeber on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Geeber on Adam Wade’s top-10 ugliest ‘classic’ cars list is decidedly quirky
  • Geeber on Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
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