Last week in this space, we posted a link to a Newsweek cover story titled “Global Warming Is A Hoax*.”
This week, we’re posting another link – this time, to a new Newsweek story that takes last week’s story to task. The new story, written by Newsweek contributing editor Robert J. Samuelson, is must-reading for those of you who have commented on the global warming opinion pieces seen at this site.
But, first, for those who haven’t participated in our ongoing reader-editor debate, and for those who didn’t read last week’s Newsweek story, let’s stop here and explain. Last week’s Newsweek cover was billed as “the truth about denial.” It described a so-called “denial machine,” reportedly funded by industry, trying to obstruct those who are battling the global warming threat. The article was an unveiled attempt to discredit certain scientists who don’t view global warming as a crisis.
This week, Robert Samuelson took a different view of the matter. The Newsweek columnist slammed last week’s story, calling it “fundamentally misleading.” He then went on to say something that advocates on both sides of this debate need to hear: “As we debate it, journalists should resist the temptation to portray global warming as a morality tale – as Newsweek did – in which anyone who questions its gravity or proposed solutions may be ridiculed as a fool, a crank or an industry stooge. Dissent is, or should be, the lifeblood of a free society.”
We’ve noted previously that an extraordinary number of people don’t want to hear the other side of this issue. The surprising element of the Newsweek debacle is that a giant newsweekly – one founded on the premise of balanced journalism – would be one of the biggest violators on this front.
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