RealClimate
(http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/01/environmental-rep
orters-ought-to-be-more-responsible-too/)
and Ben Goldacre's Badscience blog
(http://www.badscience.net/2009/01/the-telegraph-misrepresent-a-scientis
ts-work-on-climate-and-then-refuse-to-correct-it-when-he-writes-to-them/
)
have both been discussing the shortcomings of a recent article
published by 'The Daily Telegraph':
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/4061092/Green
house-gases-could-have-caused-an-ice-age-claim-scientists.html
Both blogs are fairly scathing about the quality of the journalism.
Unfortunately, neither of the blogs acknowledged that the article is
actually a pretty faithful reproduction of the press release issued by
the University of Birmingham:
http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/press/2009/01/Ice_Age_Press_Release_02_
01_09.shtml
RealClimate has also attacked this article in 'The Independent':
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/changing-climate-devasta
tes-uk-species-1212416.html
Unfortunately, that too is a pretty accurate reflection of another press
release, this time issued by the National Trust:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-news/w-latest_news/w-new
s-topsy-year-wildlife.htm
In these cases, I think it is fair to say that the biggest failing of
the journalists involved is that they did not recognize how poor the
standards of media relations are in some of the UK's most reputable
institutions.
Bob Ward
Policy and Communications Director
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
London School of Economics and Political Science
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
http://www.lse.ac.uk/grantham
Tel. +44 (0) 20 7106 1236
Mob. +44 (0) 7811 320346
Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm
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