Rupert Murdoch of News Corp, owners of Fox News and the Wall St. Journal (Photo: Wikimedia)

UCS putting pressure on Murdoch, Fox News and Wall St. Journal to live up to climate commitments

Bill O'Reilly is the most rational person on Fox News. Scary, huh. Unlike the rest of the scientifically-challenged talk info-tainment hosts he works with on the network, at least O'Reilly says he believes in global warming. Many of his compatriots, however, as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hilariously pointed out, are having some serious difficulties with the climate/weather distinction and with climate science more broadly. Well, the scientists noticed, and they're pissed.

In an email yesterday from Aaron Huertas, press secretary for the Union of Concerned Scientists, the science-based policy advocacy organization, asked its members to put pressure on Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp properties like The Wall St. Journal and Fox News to report more 'fair and balanced' than they have been -- especially in terms of their coverage of--and positions on--climate change. Huertas' call-to-action then linked to a customizable email made out to Mr. Murdoch that reads:

"As someone who has read your company's newspapers and watched your television shows and movies, I want to thank you for committing News Corporation to addressing the urgent issue of global warming and for pledging that the company will become carbon neutral by 2010.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges we face today to adequately addressing global warming is coming from your employees.

Fox News show hosts, their guests, and Wall Street Journal columnists regularly misrepresent climate science and attack scientists. Often, they claim climate change itself is not real despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that it is. Allowing their fraudulent claims to go unchecked misleads your audience. This runs counter to News Corp.'s stated policy to "engage our audiences and enable them to find ways to reduce carbon emissions in their own lives."

Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Pete du Pont, and Kimberley Strassel among others, have all attacked the science behind global warming in media outlets owned by News Corp.--including Beck's outrageous claim that Arctic ice is increasing.

I am not entertained by outrageous statements and the misuse of science. Your paid commentators have the right to broadcast their opinions, but not to make up their own facts.

Please match your corporation's climate commitments to real action by ensuring all News Corporation programming get the facts straight."

The media plays such an important role in any society so to see this major media conglomerate obscuring and obfuscating climate science for what seems to be purely political and/or entertainment value is not a healthy, democratic media.

Learn more about the Union of Concerned Scientists' campaign to 'tell Rupert Murdoch to get the facts straight.'

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