Glaring Conflict of Interest in the AP ClimateGate Exoneration

Recently the Associated Press published an article by Seth Borenstein which asserted the following:

LONDON – E-mails stolen from climate scientists show they stonewalled skeptics and discussed hiding data — but the messages don’t support claims that the science of global warming was faked, according to an exhaustive review by The Associated Press.

The 1,073 e-mails examined by the AP show that scientists harbored private doubts, however slight and fleeting, even as they told the world they were certain about climate change. However, the exchanges don’t undercut the vast body of evidence showing the world is warming because of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

Now, Borenstein should have pointed out that he is one of the journalists included in the ClimateGate emails (HT:  WattsUpWithThat):

On Jul 23, 2009, at 11:54 AM, Borenstein, Seth wrote:

Kevin, Gavin, Mike,
It’s Seth again. Attached is a paper in JGR today that
Marc Morano is hyping wildly. It’s in a legit journal. Whatchya think?
Seth
Seth Borenstein
Associated Press Science Writer
[7]sborenstein@xxxxxxxxx.xxx

Given the reporter’s prior relationship and confidence in the ClimateGate scientists, as well as his reporting history in the field, one would think it most inappropriate for Borenstein to set the world straight regarding the relevancy of the current scandal.   Talk about conflict of interest!

There is much more…. consider this:

Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein has a terrible reputation as a runaway alarmist. Even global warming enthusiasts and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are embarrassed by his over-the-top prognostications of doom and selective use of data to support his fading dream that mankind can actually control climate.

There is also this report on media hype:

True to form, Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein could not allow himself to include any scientists or peer-reviewed studies countering alarm over the allegedly “melting” Antarctic. Borenstein instead hyped alarm by writing on March 27, “Scientists said they are not concerned about a rise in sea level from the latest event, but say it’s a sign of worsening global warming.” [Note: Borenstein has a long history of incomplete reporting on global warming. See here and here. Also see related links section below for examples of the media's shoddy environmental reporting. In addition, ABC World News Sunday anchor Dan Harris this week produced a low brow smear segment on atmospheric physicist Dr. Fred Singer, a prominent dissenter of man-made climate fears. ABC News violated basic journalistic standards by citing "anonymous" scientists to attack Dr. Singer. See: here, here, here and here. ]

Yet, if only the media would spend a moment to get beyond the hype and alarmism, they would discover that scientists are already thoroughly debunking the media characterization of the “melting” Antarctic.

You should also consider this report from Aug. 2009:

‘Long sad history of AP reporter Seth Borenstein’s woeful global warming reporting’
Media Factsheet: Climate Depot Serving as the Media’s Ombudsman

As part of Climate Depot’s continuing role as the ombudsman of the Fourth Estate, the below is a small sampling of the long sad history of Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein’s woeful global warming reporting: (See also “Related Links” below for sampling of good and bad media climate reporting.)

Of course, Borenstein has a well known history as an alarmist:

In writer Seth Borenstein’s view, climate change is “a ticking time bomb that President-elect Barack Obama can’t avoid.”

“Global warming is accelerating. Time is close to running out, and Obama knows it.”

Surely there should have been some caution by the Associated Press before publishing a full exoneration of the ClimateGate scientists by a reporter that had hyped global warming based on information originating from the same set of individuals.

Back in 2007 the American Thinker reported the following:

Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press has written another truly frightening little sci-fi piece entitled Warming Report to Warn of Coming Drought. The article, which claims to have scooped the findings of the IPCC 4th Assessment Working Group 2 (WG2), and predicts a coming eco-apocalypse, has created quite a stir since being published last Saturday. This, despite the fact that the very same author made similar predictions last month regarding the findings of another IPCC group – predictions which proved to be baloney.

On February 1st, the AP published Borenstein’s Working Group 1 (WG1) forecasts under the politically sensational headline Warming Linked to Stronger Hurricanes. This preposterous “leak” claimed that the pending report would place the blame for stronger Atlantic hurricanes “such as Katrina” squarely on the shoulders of man-made global warming. Of course, the very next day revealed an appraisal which made no such broad claims. To the contrary, qualifying footnotes such as these used whenever human contribution was declared “more likely than not,” thereby revealing hypothesis rather than conclusion, were mysteriously absent from the article

Heh.  Where, pray tell, did Borenstein manage to get information from the IPCC?