Media Always Hypes Fears of Climate Change

What are we going to do about global warming? That’s what the media were worried about in the 1930s.

But what about the next ice age? Good point. The media were worried about that back in 1900 and again in the mid 1970s.

In fact, says Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), the media are always worrying about climate change.

Since 1895, the media has alternated between global cooling and warming scares during four separate and sometimes overlapping time periods. From 1895 until the 1930’s the media pedaled a coming ice age.



From the late 1920’s until the 1960’s they warned of global warming. From the 1950’s until the 1970’s they warned us again of a coming ice age. This makes modern global warming the fourth estate’s fourth attempt to promote opposing climate change fears during the last 100 years.

Well, of course, hysteria sells. But it would be nice if, say, when James Hansen, noted scientist and global warming enthusiast, appeared on 60 Minutes we would be told of

Hansen’s partisan ties to former Democrat Vice President Al Gore or Hansen’s receiving of a grant of a quarter of a million dollars from the left-wing Heinz Foundation run by Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Because basic disclosures like that are the mark of professional journalism. Palming off a partisan as an disinterested scientist is fine. But it is straight advocacy.

Breaking the cycles of media hysteria will not be easy since hysteria sells -- it’s very profitable. But I want to challenge the news media to reverse course and report on the objective science of climate change, to stop ignoring legitimate voices this scientific debate and to stop acting as a vehicle for unsubstantiated hype.

You can’t say fairer than that.