The Climate Conference Networks Hardly Acknowledge
Gathering to protest carbon emissions often makes the evening news. But when hundreds gather to hear scientists from various disciplines argue that global warming isn’t the dire threat the media claim ... crickets.
Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change is happening June 11 and 12, 2015, in Washington, D.C. Policymakers, scientists and other experts will speak on the issue of climate change. And if history repeats itself, ABC, CBS and NBC will say virtually nothing about it. Many newspapers have already made it clear that skeptical views are not welcome within their pages.
The first conference was held in New York City in March 2008, with 100 speakers and panelists including Czech President Vaclav Klaus. It garnered press attention from many places, but barely an acknowledgment from the broadcast networks. ABC “World News Sunday” aired a profile of S. Fred Singer, a speaker at the conference, but just mentioned that he’d been at a recent gathering of “global warming skeptics.” The conference was never named or reported on specifically.
In fact, the conference has never been named by the networks since March 2008 and The Heartland Institute has been mentioned in only two unrelated stories in that time period, according to Nexis.
The tenth conference will feature professors of physics, meteorologists, geologists, statisticians, astronauts, and policymakers. Radio host Mark Steyn, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and Professor William Happer of Princeton will give the keynote addresses.
Heartland will be livestreaming their event for anyone unable to attend in person.
— Julia A. Seymour is Assistant Managing Editor for MRC Business at the Media Research Center. Follow Julia A. Seymour on Twitter.
