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Hi Bob,

That's very fair comment.  I've had another play through the Newsnight programme, last night [1].

The question is whether the BBC was just clumsy, or whether it was deliberate, in leaving the last word to Montford "we simply don't know".  Surely that cannot be put down to clumsiness.  They had plenty of warning. 

In the lead up to the broadcast [2], the Newsnight team said:

"Our Science editor Susan Watts examines the claims by senior climate scientists that global warming is a "major contributing factor'' (Dr Ghassem Asrar, director of the World Climate Research Program). What role - if any - has climate change played in this disaster?"

Of course they should say "global warming" rather than "climate change", but that is nit-picking. Dr Asrar explained very carefully the science behind the role of global warming in heating the Indian Ocean, and increasing the amount of moisture - and how it happened to be concentrated more than usual, which caused the particularly intensive monsoon rain.  So it was absolutely clear to me, as a scientist, that global warming influenced the intensity of the rain. But a non-scientist might not have realised this.  Leaving the last word to Montford must have thrown the casual listener into doubt.

As to Montford's treatment, I think an objection can also be made to the introduction to Montford - only giving a title of his book and saying he was a blogger - not saying that he is in contrary to the vast majority of scientists about the affect of  man's injection of a vast amount of CO2 into the atmosphere.

But why have Montford at all?  It is like inviting a flat-earther to comment on a satellite launch.

I suspect that the Newnight team want to believe that nothing is happening to the world climate.  It is wishful thinking that comes out in such a programme.  They don't want a clear answer that climate change had an influence on the Pakistan flooding.  So their programme deliberately leaves the listener in doubt.  It is Katrina all over again [3], 5 years on.

So my conclusion is that it was deliberate bias by the BBC.

Global warming is 35 years old [4], and we still have not acted.  The media must be partly to blame, including our beloved BBC I'm afraid.  What chance does civilisation have to survive this century?  Nature's warnings are being ignored.  Furthermore, the proposed action, of simply reducing CO2 emissions, won't work, because climate change is already upon us in a big way, especially with the accelerating warming of the Arctic.  Is there anything your Grantham Research Institute can do, to spell out the facts?  Let's face it, we are in a right pickle. 

Best wishes,

John

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/newsnight

[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2010/08/monday_23_august_2010.html

[3] On radio, Sir David King explained that the intensity of Katrina was affected by the unusual warm surface of the Atlantic at the time, which would have been affected by global warming.  But this was not picked up by the interviewer!  It was left to the Independent to spell it out:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/king-global-warming-may-be-to-blame-504869.html

[4] http://www.realclimate.org/

---

Bob Ward wrote:
[log in to unmask]" type="cite"> 
George,

I exchanged e-mail messages with Newsnight last night before the
programme and they decided to proceed regardless. You can watch it on
BBC iPlayer here (it's the top story):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/newsnight

Montford's contribution was mostly unobjectionable, although lacking in
expert insight about the issue. But the main problem occurred at the end
when Kirsty Wark asked Montford about whether climate change posed a
threat - Montford replied that "in reality we just don't know" whether
mankind is affecting the climate a little bit or a lot.

I think this follows the usual pattern in which the 'Newsnight' editor
finds an expert from the science community to comment on climate change,
then casts around for an opposing voice, no matter how marginal and
extreme, to argue the opposite to the scientist. I assume they think
this shows impartiality. However, in doing so, the editors sacrifice the
search for the truth and the BBC Charter's commitment to accuracy. Hence
last night's programme featured a genuine expert, Ghassem Asra, Director
of the World Climate Research Programme, up against Montford who has
only written a book based on postings on the blog Climate Audit.

You may know that Professor Steve Jones is currently carrying out a
review of the impartiality of the BBC's science coverage for the BBC
Trust. This is I think a clear example of the acute problem with the way
'Newsnight' currently seeks to satisfy its commitment to impartiality,
and I will be brining it to the attention of Steve Jones. I encourage
you and everybody else on this list who has examples of the distortion
that the BBC introduces into its coverage through clumsy attempts at
impartiality to send them to Professor Jones.


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
-----Original Message-----
From: George Marshall [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 24 August 2010 09:35
To: Ward,RE; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: 'Newsnight' losing the plot?

Dear Bob and all 

I believe that it is entirely appropriate (and important) to call a news
programme directly and complain about their coverage- all calls are
logged
and recognised (if not heeded) by editorial staff. 

Here are the numbers for standard complaints, though i find that It is
usually much more effective to ask for the programme office and speak to
the
desk staff (or better still the editor involved with the problem piece)
directly rather than being fobbed off with someone in a call centre. I
have
done this myself many times and enjoy putting them on the spot and I
think a
good grilling from you, Bob, would teach them a lesson!

MEDIA COMPLAINTS
Channel Four and ITV News -0207 833 3000 and ask for liaison line
(recorded
messages checked hourly) 
BBC TV and Radio Complaints Line-08700 100 222  (someone staffing the
line
24 hours day) 
Channel Five Complaints Line-0845 7050505 

And if you want to be more personal, you can usually ask for any
programme
news editor or a specific journalist through the switchboard. 

BBC Radio Switchboard  0207 580 4468 
ITN Switchboard 0207 833 3000 
Channel Five Switchboard 0207 550 5555 
BBC TV Switchboard 0208 743 8000




-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for the Crisis Forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bob Ward
Sent: 23 August 2010 19:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 'Newsnight' losing the plot?

Andrew Montford has pointed out on his blog that he is due to appear on
'Newsnight' this evening about the link between the floods in Pakistan
and climate change. I had heard rumours that the Newsnight editor now
thinks all climate change coverage should include a 'sceptic' and this
seems to be confirmation. I've left the comment below on the 'Newsnight'
blog. 

I see that Andrew Montford is bragging on his Bishop Hill blog that he
is an interviewee on this evening's programme about the link between the
floods in Pakistan. His only contribution to the climate change debate
so far has been a controversial book about palaeoclimatology, so it is
not clear what his expertise on climate change and extreme weather is
meant to be. Or perhaps he will be representing Lord Lawson's group, the
Global Warming Policy Foundation, which now regularly provides the
'balancing' voice of dissent every time a scientist is interviewed about
climate change on 'Newsnight'. If so, this is presumably evidence of the
commitment of 'Newsnight' to impartiality rather than accuracy? And can
I look forward to further instances of this balance by for instance,
including comments from a creationist every time there is a story about
evolution?



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/planningAndCorporatePolicy/legalandComp
lian
ceTeam/legal/disclaimer.htm


Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/planningAndCorporatePolicy/legalandComplianceTeam/legal/disclaimer.htm