Heartland Institute Lies; Sun Rises in East

grist.org

The right-wing Heartland Institute has been making a big fuss about "500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares."

Five hundred skeptical scientists? Sounds bad!

Kevin Grandia at DeSmogBlog had the radical idea of actually contacting the scientists, to see if they are being accurately characterized by Heartland.

You see where this is going, right?

In less than 24 hours, Grandia received three dozen outraged replies from scientists who didn't know they were on the list and wanted to be removed. At this point the number is up to 45. Here's a representative quote, from Dr. David Sugden, Professor of Geography, University of Edinburgh:

I am horrified to find my name on such a list. I have spent the last 20 years arguing the opposite.

Says University of Maryland's Distinguished Professor Eugenia Kalnay:

This is just another example of lack of scruples that climate skeptics have shown in pursuing short-term financial advantages, and basically condemning the next generations to suffer the consequences of climate change due to our lack of prudent and responsible planning.

If Heartland really believes what it claims, why does it have to lie and slander scientists to make the point?

I assume the mainstream media will follow up on this, Heartland will lose its credibility, and their next BS press release won't be gullibly quoted by journalists across the country. Ha ha.

Comments

[Norbrook]

I have come to the sad conclusion that many mainstream journalists are lazy. It's too easy to simply take a press release and print it. It means you don't have to do all that work of checking the validity of the source, looking at the actual list, checking with them, and maybe, just maybe, indulging in a little skepticism.

I doubt you're going to see any retractions or further coverage, since it would be sooo embarrassing to admit they didn't do their job in the first place. Much better to ignore it, and hope no one notices.

[barackobam]

We need to remember America is great. America is good. We are all having a tough time but if we continue to believe in the best of us, in all of the hard work in front of us to clean up from this horrible war, shut down the deficit , give the middle class a real tax cut and do something about tuition, we can win.

[KillTheMessenger]

At this point in time America is neither good not great. It is a vast intellectual wasteland inhabited by a mixture of clueless egomaniacs and outright con men.

[barackobam]

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[barackobam]

Vote for the Right Candidate for OUR FUTURE..


OBAMA 08

[PioneerKing]

A republican backed organization lying in an effort to bolster their agend. How shocking!
Republicans lie - never?

ooopps there was that tiny lie about weapons of mass destruction..

[swift_goat_pet_for_truth]

"Mainstream Media" (MSM)?

No. CORPORATE Media (CM)

And Corporate Media will print anything that suits their own corporate purposes.
Any other assumptions are quaintly naive.

[Donk]

Sad but true. My advice is to subscribe to Mother Jones mag, seems everyone else has been muzzled.

[Kynn]

I'm sorry sir, but if you want any media play for this story you'll have to phrase it in the form of a Rev. Wright story.