‘Pure journalistic drivel’: How does Reuters spin GROWING Arctic ice? By reporting on ‘predictions’ of an ice free Arctic

Climate Depot Editorial – Serving as the Media’s Ombudsman

Despite the fact that 2009 has officially been “declared year the media lost their faith in man-made global warming fears,” there still remains many deep-seated journalistic failings when it comes to the mainstream media’s global warming coverage.

The global warming fear promoting media is particularly faced with a difficult challenge when it comes to the Arctic. How do you counter the climate reality of the latest inconvenient data about the expanding Arctic sea ice? See:

1) Arctic sea Ice GROWS by ‘area one and a half times the size of Texas’ – September 20, 2009

2) NYT: ‘Spread of Thicker Arctic Ice Seen Last Summer’ — ‘A substantial expansion of the extent of ‘second year ice’ – ‘Gives some hope of stabilizing the ice cover over the next few years’ – October 6, 2009

Despite this latest data, Reuters has made a woeful attempt to spin the reality of growing Arctic ice and ended up with a truly embarrassing article. An October 15, 2009 article by Peter Griffiths of Reuters, is so poorly written that it belongs in the same league as a press release for an environmental group. (Publicly available email address is: [email protected])

In the article, entitled: “Arctic to be ice-free in summer in 20 years: scientist,” Griffiths refers to the green pressure group WWF, as an “environmental charity.” How noble sounding and pure Reuters makes WWF sound.

Reuters Unabashedly Promotes UN Climate Treaty

The Reuters article also noted that “scientists” say the new Arctic sea ice predictions “should send a warning to world leaders meeting in Copenhagen in December for U.N. talks on a new climate treaty.” Reuters cites a Britain’s Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband who boldly announces the new Arctic ice prediction “further strengthens the case for an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen.”

Gee. No ulterior motives by Reuters, WWF or Miliband are noticeable in this article, are they? In fact, the article drips with pure propaganda and pre-planned political activism to coincide with pending UN climate meeting in Copenhagen in December. Reuters seems to believe that “predictions” about Arctic ice conditions decades into the future are the some sort of “evidence.” Reporter Griffiths of Reuters does not even attempt to allow one sentence in his article to any scientist or study skeptical of the Arctic claims presented. (Note: The