Green Journalism

The Truth - About The Truth About Denial

August 20th, 2007 by David Dansker

In a Newsweek article by Sharon Begley titled “Global-Warming Deniers: A Well-Funded Machine,” published on MSNBC.com, Begley sets out to expose opposition to global warming theorists as coming form disingenuous politicians and big business lobbyists. That, she asserts, is the truth behind the denial of the theory: money and politics. But unwittingly, Begley exposes another sort of denial, and that by her own example.  Begley’s article criticizes the findings of others which are not in agreement with the theory as efforts to “reinforce the appearance uncertainty” within the scientific community over the theory of global warming,1 and Begley belittles their reports as “not empirical research, but critiques of others’ work.”2

Such disparaging slights are not cast, however, when studies supporting this theory are seconded by those who happen to agree with them. These concurring opinions result in the reporting on questionable studies as “peer-reviewed” and completely reliable.3

Yet, research conducted by other scientists using ice core samples, and even ancient DNA, produced results that run counter to the global warming theory studies; and research on published studies claiming to prove global warming have pointed out omissions, and even blatant manipulation of the data tables used in those studies.  For instance, the first IPCC report that produced lots of traction for the theory, and successive reports with discredited methodologies.

In reality, there is plenty of misinformation masquerading as fact that can be reasonably questioned and exposed by scientists and non-scientists alike. To wit, Begley’s criticism appears in Newsweek, decidedly not a scientific journal, where she is critical of scientists and others whose investigations disprove global warming. It’s a privilege, it seems, that Begley would reserve for only those who ascribe to the theory.

Begley clearly disapproves of others, like herself, who would logically examine the case, but find the evidence wanting; and she goes so far as to ridicule them by repeatedly referring to them, along with opposing scientists, as members of “the denial machine.”4 While they may not be journalists of Begley’s stature, they do include; other journalists, economists, senators, scientists, including Timothy Ball, Climatology professor, Richard Lindzen, professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, and Michael Griffin, a top administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. If only they worked at Newsweek, then they could be relied on.

For an example creating your own agreement, Begley references a Newsweek poll which identified “climate change as the gravest environmental threat,”5 and this to imply that there is a groundswell of public intellect which has determined global warming is a fact. It’s not carelessness; Begley is too thorough, and has too much help (Eve Conant, Sam Stein and Eleanor Clift in Washington and Matthew Philips in New York contributed to the article). This is a shell game of using the two terms, meaning two different things, interchangeably to bolster what can’t be supported on its own with the evidence (climate change itself is independent of anthropogenic causes). But it fits the worldview according Begley and Newsweek, and that’s what matters. This is the emerging truth about denial; it has taken over large media conglomerates.

Notes: 

1 - 5. Sharon Begley, “Global Warming Deniers: A Well-Funded Machine,” MSNCB.com, (accessed August 20, 2007). Originally pubublished as  “The Truth About Denial,” Newsweek, August 13, 2007. citations are from the MSNBC title. http://www.newsweek.com/id/32482.  

This is a News Service of TheNewsBeats.com, All Rights ReservedThis entry was posted on Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 6:57 am and is filed under Environmental Research, Sustainable Development, Deception, Climate Change, Global Warming, End Times Beat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.