“The story of man-made climate change, or global warming, has everything a left-leaning journalist could possibly desire: It’s about the environment, always a fave topic, and it pits those who care about the earth against big bad business and the presumably insensitive, self-absorbed consumer—likewise topics about which liberals love to write. And because there are scientists out there who argue that the case on global warming is already closed—that it is definitely mankind’s CO2-spewing actions that are changing the climate—most major media outlets have shown themselves eager to run regular “news” stories that present man-made global warming as fact, insisting that no disagreement exists among scientists.
For example, a keyword search of The New York Times (April through June of 2007) resulted in 43 stories or analyses that focused on—or included—the topic “climate change,” none of which featured any substantive quotes or explanations that departed from the environmentalist party line on global warming.
A few articles did note disagreements between environmental groups over how best to deal with the problem, but none quarreled with global warming itself. And while most economic studies have tied the reduction of emissions to substantial costs for consumers, businesses, and nations, only three of the pieces in question acknowledged—not through research, mind you, but just via statements from interested -parties—some “possible” costs. In contrast, many of these articles quoted politicians who declared that fighting global warming would be just dandy for the economy.
Other articles focused on the people pushing our nation’s spy agencies to focus on climate change; how poor nations will suffer most from global warming’s fallout; the businesses that are aboard the climate-change fight; and even an artist going around New York City using blue chalk on streets and sidewalks to mark a flood line based on global warming projections.
Just in case you were wondering, it is not at all difficult to find climate scientists and experts who disagree with the absolutist position on man-made global warming. Over 17,000 scientists have signed the Global Warming Petition Project from the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. Here’s what the petition states:
There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.
Despite such findings, however, media outlets such as The New York Times continue to proceed as if the global warming threat isn’t a theory at all, but rather as demonstrable as gravity. Not only that, but when they are forced to admit that there are some who do disagree with such certainty, they often portray these individuals as idiots—or worse…..
According to a new Zogby poll on public attitudes in the U.S. toward global warming, 70 percent of Americans believe that man-made climate change is a fact. Clearly, media bias can, and does, influence our culture. The point here is not whether global warming is truly occurring, but whether the media covers the topic in a fair and complete fashion, which they do not. And if this is the case with global warming, on how many other issues is media bias influencing people’s views?
Thankfully, we are becoming less and less reliant on legacy media outlets. As the internet and broadband technology leap ahead, media competition and choices for the public expand, too. And in the end, more choice just might be the answer to media bias.” From Salvo Magazine.
