| Subcribe via RSS

C4 Mykura’s half-right contradiction on climate change

July 22nd, 2008 | 4 Comments | 646 views |

Hamish Mykura, Channel 4’s head of documentaries, has published his reply to Monbiot’s claim that Channel 4 has harmed action against climate change.

Mykura’s central tenet is that the vehemence of people such as Monbiot do more harm to the ’cause’ of global warming than a dissenting documentary that is seen by 2.7m viewers. In Mykura’s words:

It is arguable that it is not the Great Global Warming Swindle that has bred public scepticism, but the desire of some environmentalists – evidenced by the identikit complaints orchestrated against the film – to stamp out dissenting voices. This intolerance undermines confidence in the rightness of the cause.

This one’s going to get some comments alright. Maybe aiming for the 1,500 that accumulated under the New Scientist Lynas/White debate at the beginning of the year. Some early comments on the CIF site under Mykura’s article:

And isn’t that fulfilling all the promises of new media? More »

Tags: , , , ,

What materially matters: Ofcom and climate

July 21st, 2008 | 4 Comments | 339 views |

Today’s Ofcom bulletin confirms the ruling on the mistreatment of leading scientists and the IPCC in the ‘Great Global Warming Swindle’, broadcast on Channel 4 back in early 2007. I covered the background to the Great Global Warming Swindle coverage in a previous post.

Ofcom have found Channel 4 in breach of the Broadcasting Code in relation to Rule 7.1, Rule 5.11 and Rule 5.12. But Channel 4 were found not to have breached Rule 2.2:

2.2 Factual programmes or items or portrayals of factual matters must not materially mislead the audience.

Interestingly, Section 2 of the Code is the section tha deals with ‘Harm and Offence’–the suggestion is that to ‘materially mislead’ on factual matters can cause either offence or harm. (And interesting that News is not covered by 2.2, and so in rulings on news there is less suggestion that it can mislead, or harm?) More »

Tags: ,
View blog reactions