Newsbusters has done a great job of bringing this story to light– how an activist got the ear of a BBC journalist, Roger Harrabin, and bent an environmental story that began with a definite note of climate reality and ended up toeing the same old same old BBC AGW line.
Classic activist argumentation was apparently used, such as “It would be better if you did not quote the sceptics. Their voice is heard everywhere, on every channel. They are deliberately obstructing the emergence of the truth.”
The email dialogue apparently came to light because environmentalist Jo Abbess fell to blabbing about it online to her pals. Thanks to Jennifer Marohasy and Newsbusters the BBC’s willingness to appease the environmental activists is exposed.
Jo Abbess has (presumably unwittingly) done a great service here – by showing exactly how al-Beeb’s pro-MMGW reporters can be influenced to further the cause of these demented activists.
It’s the behind the scenes for this:
http://instapundit.com/archives2/017467.php
Also here:
http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/2008/04/the_ministry_of_1.html
Why ha Jo Abcess go such influence on the BBC reporter.Why didn’t he sic John Reith on her?
harrabin busted !
This personal news service may catch on.
what’s next – an email exchange to stop news about tibet ?
I think it’s a little harsh to be critical of Harrabin. This is more an example of the immense pressure which proponents of the AGW theory can exert upon commentators.
Reading the email exchange is chilling.The threat is clear.Agree with me and do as I say or I will ensure peer group pressure and worse will discredit you.This is the way totalitarianism starts and freedom ends.I would not describe this as bias.Far far worse and something that threatens us all.The BBC needs in fact must deal with this or it is finished.
dave s | 07.04.08 – 11:00 pm | #
Chilling – unbelievably so.
We can highlight the BBC’s bias on such subjects as Northern Ireland, Multiculturalism, Politics etc, but THIS subject is by far the most serious example of it’s bias.
If I was the BBC news editor, I would use this story as a perfect example of why they have been pushing the man made global warming story for so long.
It would firstly kill the power of the eco mentalists and secondly allow the BBC to change sides gracefully – after all, it all seems obvious to anyone without an agenda that its damn cold and it makes sense that its the Sun wot did it!
My question, after reading the lecture from this Jo, is that she is clearly crazy as a loon, talking about ecological justice before the international court, and such??
Why does a BBC top reporter have such a close relationship with such a nut.
I do not object to reporters changing their stories in the light of new information, but it is quite clear from the e-mail traffic posted that no new information was presented merely fairly innocuous threats about publicity.
However, we only know of this specific e-mail stream. In view of the inflamatory nature of Harrabin’s article, to the increasingly worried supporters of pure AGW, it is conceivable that he was being inundated with e-mails possible posing much more serious threats.
Of course this does show that the BBC will cave in to blackmail, but we can already see that in the case of its reporting of Islam. This even appears to extend to censoring jokes about it.
Holy Mother of Madness,Jo is a Christian -Ecologist.What happened to turn the other cheek.”The meek shall inherit the earth”?
Anyone see Paxo on Newsnight attacking Nigel Lawson on his “sceptical” approach to “Climate change?”
Paxo asked what he knew about the science of climate change.
Any change Paxo might ask the same question to Harrabin next time he’s on? Apart from a degree in English (not a lot of use for understanding the Physics or Chemistry of climate change) he doesn’t appear ot be qualified at all.
More Jo.
Come to that what does Paxo know about Climate,AGW,Gorephillia?
From the link (above)- Operation Noah – “Lobby government to drive down emissions by 90% by 2030”
These people are absolute lunatics.
“Lobby government to drive down emissions by 90% by 2030”
What is wrong with them setting an example,just like the early Christians.No weedy talk about lobbying in those days.
Peter | 08.04.08 – 12:41 am
What is wrong with them setting an example,just like the early Christians.No weedy talk about lobbying in those days.
Yeah, but in the end they did lobby the Emperor Constantine…..and the rest is history!
The BBC has given Matt Prescott 1400+ words to justify his risible E-day campaign. Incredible.
On the day of the event itself Bishop Hill noted that Prescott’s blogger profile said he had worked for the following people:
Prof. Norman Myers (a British environmentalist),
Sir Crispin Tickell,(a British diplomat, environmentalist and academic)
Roger Harrabin, (BBC environment)
George Monbiot, (journalist and environmentalist)
Jon Plowman (Head of BBC comedy)
Glenwyn Benson (Controller BBC knowledge)
Here’s his blogger CV today: “Since submitting my thesis I have worked for Prof. Norman Myers, Sir Crispin Tickell, George Monbiot and Jon Plowman.”
As you can see Harrabin and Benson have been removed. Nice try folks, but we already know. How very cosy.
(Plowman is no longer head of comedy which explains why his name remains.)
More cosiness.
Richard Black, another BBC environment correspondent, is running the London Marathon next week. Look who has sponsored him: Matt Prescott – 18/02/2008 – £10.00
DB: They don’t need handouts!! Just Charity! Priceless.
Roger Harribin’s stance does him some credit. The thrust of the article doesn’t change much despite the pleas from Abbess.
Yes there’s the usual stream of experts saying it’s an inconsequential pause. But it does honestly report warming has apparently stalled for a decade. It even ascribes the surge in temperature in 1998 to El Nino, a natural phenomenon. That temperatures are still above the 1961-1999 average prompts me to wonder – who decided 1961-1999 was some kind of optimum?
I did notice two things;
1. Roger Harribin said he’d change the title but it hasn’t.
2. He also points out the ‘Last updated’ details won’t be changing.
The former is of little consequence. The latter is something that ought to be addressed.(Could the webdesigners have made it automatic?) A publically available revision history would be nice too.
Peter:
Holy Mother of Madness,Jo is a Christian -Ecologist.What happened to turn the other cheek.”The meek shall inherit the earth”?
Peter | 08.04.08 – 12:14 am | #
I used to think comparing AGW to a religious cult was a satirical device employed by us sceptics – but now it appears it’s all true.
Hallelujah! Praise be to Gore above! Death to all unbelievers!
God help us if the islamoloonies and ecolonies ever join forces – it’ll be straight back to the dark ages.
And these people invoke the name of science.
They’re about as scientific as the people who built stonehenge (but rather less practical).
2. He also points out the ‘Last updated’ details won’t be changing.
The former is of little consequence. The latter is something that ought to be addressed.(Could the webdesigners have made it automatic?) A publically available revision history would be nice too.
Gareth | 08.04.08 – 11:53 am | #
Yes, he said it in way which seemed to imply that he was doing her a favour. Very strange.
“Yeah, but in the end they did lobby the Emperor Constantine…..and the rest is history!”
Actually his mother converted,and saw that if Christians would die for their beliefs the would die For the Roman Empire.They did until the fall of Byzantium.
This lot want us to die for their beliefs.
More cosiness.
Richard Black, another BBC environment correspondent, is running the London Marathon next week. Look who has sponsored him: Matt Prescott – 18/02/2008 – £10.00
DB | 08.04.08 – 10:42 am
What a collection of moonbats Mr Black has to sponsor him: Biased-BBC “regulars” like Haw Haw Hawley, Adam Curtis, Harrabin and Shukman, Dominic Casciani.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/04/bbc_folds_then_folds_again.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/08/bbc_blog_bully/
Richard Black, another BBC environment correspondent, is running the London Marathon next week. Look who has sponsored him: Matt Prescott – 18/02/2008 – £10.00
DB | 08.04.08 – 10:42 am | #
Perhaps Matt’s being careful ‘cos his future career prospects aren’t looking brilliant.
His E-Day (E for energy saving) succeeded in using rather more energy than an average day.
I wonder how much this whole useless farce (including the aborted “Planet Relief Day”) cost the long suffering licence fee payer.
Read and weep (again) :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7334774.stm
Apologies DB
Been busy all day and didn’t realise you’d covered Matt’s E-Day piece already.
glj:
I think it’s a little harsh to be critical of Harrabin. This is more an example of the immense pressure which proponents of the AGW theory can exert upon commentators.
glj | 07.04.08 – 10:58 pm | #
Danegeld?
This is more an example of the immense pressure which proponents of the AGW theory can exert upon commentators.
You are joking surely, immense pressure when a totally powereless blogger says ‘I will tell my friends about you’ unless you change your piece – Diddums
It may be that there was other more serious pressure on him, but that is not what appears in the e-mail traffic that has been published.
From Matt Prescott’s review of E-Day article I can’t help but laugh at this line:
“The day was colder than expected, and this meant that more heating and lighting were being used…”
Get pedalling Matt that’ll keep yer Green ass warm!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/t…ech/ 7334774.stm
“You are joking surely, immense pressure when a totally powereless blogger says ‘I will tell my friends about you’ unless you change your piece – Diddums”
You are completely ignoring the power of prayer,Harrabin would have been visited by a plague of frogs,boils and locusts.You don’t want all that in the BBC canteen now do you? Enough to put a man of his tofu and curdle the claret.
Melanie Phillips has:
“An emerging truth”
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/601516/an-emerging-truth.thtml
http://freebornjohn.blogspot.com/2008/04/bbc-and-climate-change.html
“…Paxo asked what he knew about the science of climate change…”
To which the answer is: “What Science?”. See Climate Audit (http://www.climateaudit.org/).
Possibly the worst fall-out from the Global Warming fiasco is not the vast sums of money being wasted, or even the draconian suppression of freedom in its name, but the wholesale destruction of the scientific method, which has been solely responsible for the improvement of mankind’s lot since the Renaissance.