Top 10 stories of 2013: Kids faced gag order, plus Matt Damon's fracking movie

It’s the last day of the year, and we’ve reached our top two most popular stories of 2013, as measured by web traffic.
Today’s post features a look at Matt Damon’s movie about fracking– which generated some buzz, but flopped at the box office.
We also revisit a high-profile contamination lawsuit.

2. Kids faced lifelong gag order in fracking case
A court settlement agreement in Western Pennsylvania appeared to forbid two young children from speaking about Marcellus Shale or fracking for the rest of their lives.
The children were 7 and 10 years old at the time the Hallowich family settled a nuisance case against driller Range Resources in August 2011. The parents, Chris and Stephanie, had been outspoken critics of fracking, saying the family became sick from the gas drilling activity surrounding their Washington County home.
Range Resources later said the gag order did not apply to the entire family.
“The seven and ten year olds are free to discuss whatever they wish now and when they are of age.” wrote spokesman Matt Pittzarella in an email to StateImpact Pennsylvania.*
*Note: this post has been updated for clarification. Although an attorney representing Range Resources initially said the gag order applied to the entire family, the company has called that statement inaccurate and “not not reflective of our interpretation of the settlement.”
And our number one web story of the year goes to…
1. The truthiness of “Promised Land,” five things to know before you go
Hollywood exaggerates, hyperbolizes, and stretches the truth to tell a good story. So how does “Promised Land” stack up to reality?
Susan Phillips separates fact from fiction.

Happy New Year!

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