Broken Record: Fox Still Falsely Claiming That Snow Disproves Global Warming
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on January 28th, 2011 5:43 am by HL
Broken Record: Fox Still Falsely Claiming That Snow Disproves Global Warming
During their recent coverage of winter storms, Fox News has repeatedly mocked former Vice President Al Gore and cited the cold and snowy weather to attempt to discredit global warming. Fox News and other right-wing media routinely use snow to cast doubt on global warming, and internal emails from Fox News’ Washington bureau show that in the past Fox employees have been instructed to question climate science.
Fox Uses Latest Snowstorm To Mock Gore, Climate Science
Doocy Asks: “I Wonder Where Al Gore Is This Morning?” On the January 27 broadcast of Fox & Friends, host Steve Doocy reported from outside of Fox News’ studios to show viewers how much snow fell in New York City during the previous evening’s storm. During the segment, he asked, “I wonder where Al Gore is this morning?” He then added: “That global warming is really taking its toll. Isn’t it?” [Fox News’ Fox & Friends, 1/27/11]
Fox Chyron: “What Global Warming?” During one segment about the recent snowstorm, Fox & Friends aired an on-screen graphic that read, “What Global Warming?” [Fox & Friends, 1/20/11]
NASA: 2010 Hottest Year On Record. In December 2010, the Washington Post’s Post Carbon blog reported that NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies had released data showing that 2010 was the hottest climate year on record. [Washington Post, 12/10/10]
2000-2009 Warmest Decade On Record. In January, major meteorological organizations throughout the world — including NASA — released reports showing that the past decade, 2000-2009, was the warmest on record. The reports undermine the right-wing media’s numerous claims that recent snow and cold weather show climate change does not exist or has slowed over the past 10 years. [Media Matters, 1/25/10]
Fox’s Sammon Ordered Reporters To Cast Doubt On Climate Science
Fox Boss Ordered Staff To Cast Doubt On Climate Science. In the midst of global climate change talks in Copenhagen in December 2009, Fox News’ Washington Managing Editor Bill Sammon sent an email to Fox staff questioning the “veracity of climate change data” and ordering the network’s journalists to “refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question.” [Media Matters, 12/15/10]
Indeed, Fox Recently Tried And Failed To Debunk Fact That Global Temperatures Have Increased In Recent Decades. In an article titled, “Five Reasons the Planet May Not Be Its Hottest Ever,” FoxNews.com sought to debunk the fact that global temperatures have increased over the past 30 years, as well as the notion that human activity has contributed to the warming. But in compiling a handful of contrarian arguments, Fox largely ignored climate science and botched basic facts; even one of the skeptics Fox cited said part of the article “does not make sense.” [Media Matters, 1/25/11, 1/14/11]
Fox Nation Falsely Suggests January Snow Disproves Global Warming. On January 11, Fox Nation linked to a story about high amounts of snow in the U.S. with the headline, “Someone Tell Gore it’s Snowing in 49 States Today, Including Hawaii.” [Fox Nation, 1/11/11]
Right-Wing Media Cite December 2010 Snowstorm To Mock Global Warming. Glenn Beck, Fox Nation, and right-wing blogger Jim Hoft all used the December 2010 snowstorm and the collapse of the roof of Minnesota Vikings’ football stadium to mock Gore and claim that global warming isn’t happening. [Media Matters, 12/13/11]
Wash Times Uses Cold Weather In December To Call Global Warming A “Hoax.” In a December 13 editorial, The Washington Times cited recent snow and cold temperatures to call global warming a “hoax.” [The Washington Times 12/13/10]
Right-wing Media Use DC Snowstorms To Attack Gore And Climate Science. Following a February 2010 snowstorm in Washington, DC, right-wing media across the board mocked Al Gore and tried to attack climate science by pointing to the snowfall. Fox Nation and Fox News personalities Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Gretchen Carlson, Steve Doocy, Stuart Varney, and Eric Bolling all used the DC snowstorm to attack Gore or the science supporting global warming, as did Rush Limbaugh and The Washington Times. The New York Post used the snowstorm to suggest that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) was correct in saying that the snow “must be a sign from God” about the existence of global warming. [Media Matters, 2/10/10]