John WitherowEditor, The Times The News BuildingNews UK 1 London Bridge Street SE1 9GFAril !" !"1#$e%r John,We %re writing &e'%use we %re 'on'erned th%t some o( )our re'ent 'o*er%ge o( m%n+m%de 'lim%te 'h%nge %nd energ) riss &ringing dis'redit on )our %er-  The Times o''uies % se'i%l l%'e in the histor) o( British  .ourn%lism, with the &est 'l%im o( %n) to h%*ing &een the n%tion/s news%er o( re'ord- A''ordingl), % rese'ted Times is %n essenti%l ingredient o( % he%lth) n%tion%l dis'ourse-  The %rti'ul%r %rti'le th%t stimul%ted this letter %e%red on !0

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 Fe&ru%r), entitled 2l%net is not o*erhe%ting, s%)s 2ro(essor3, &) )our en*ironment editor Ben We&ster- 4t 'on'erned % stud)3 urorting to show th%t there is no st%tisti'%ll) *%lid e*iden'e (or m%n+m%de 'lim%te 'h%nge, %nd there(ore the l%net will not w%rm signi5'%ntl) &) the end o( the 'entur)-  Th%t % %er o( The Times/ st%nding 'hose to reort on this stud) %t %ll is %stonishing, gi*en its oor 6u%lit)- Sin'e )our %rti'le %e%red, s'ientists h%*e 'ommented, (or e7%mle, th%t the method used in*ol*es ignoring e*er)thing th%t s'ien'e h%s dis'o*ered %&out %tmosheri' h)si's sin'e the dis'o*er) o( greenhouse w%rming &)  John T)nd%ll more th%n 18" )e%rs %go- The) h%*e shown th%t %lre%d) glo&%l w%rming h%s ro'eeded more r%idl) th%n the uer &ound o( the stud)/s ro.e'tions- 4t w%s er(ormed &) someone who is not % 'lim%te s'ientist, used methods th%t %re un*eri5ed in the 'lim%te 'h%nge 'onte7t, w%s not eer+re*iewed, %nd w%s 'ommissioned %nd %id (or &) %n NG ressure grou, the Glo&%l W%rming 2oli') Found%tion- n so'i%l medi% it h%s, liter%ll), &een % l%ughing sto'-

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Were this %rti'le %n isol%ted e7%mle o( oor 6u%lit) %nd:or distorted'o*er%ge, it would merit no 'omment- ;owe*er, it is &ut one e7%mle, %l&eit % %rti'ul%rl) egregious one, in % se6uen'e th%t %e%rs designed s)stem%ti'%ll) to undermine the 'redi&ilit) o( 'lim%te s'ien'e %nd the institutions th%t '%rr) it out, %nd the *%lidit)o( rogr%mmes %imed %t redu'ing emissions- As i( to demonstr%te the oint, % wee l%ter )ou '%rried %nother %rti'le &) Ben We&ster <S'ientists =%re e7%gger%ting '%r&on thre%t tom%rine li(e/, 1

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 >%r'h? 'l%iming th%t s'ientists h%*e e7%gger%ted thesigni5'%n'e o( o'e%n %'idi5'%tion @ %n %rti'le th%t the rese%r'her onwhose wor it w%s &%sed, $r ;ow%rd Browm%n, h%s 'riti'ised using terms su'h %s 'herr)+i'ing3, sens%tion%l3 %nd dis%ointing3 while lim%te Feed&%', %n initi%ti*e in whi'h 'lim%te s'ientists r%nnews %rti'les %''ording to %''ur%'), 'on'luded th%t this one/s s'ienti5' 'redi&ilit) w%s =*er) low/- This w%s (ollowed &) % 'omment %rti'le &) >el%nie 2hillis <S'ien'e is turning &%' to the d%r %ges, C

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 >%r'h?, whi'h oened with the s%me 'l%im %s Ben We&ster/s %rti'le, in either ignor%n'e or disreg%rd o( $r Browm%n/s 'omments, %nd ended &) re+tre%ding the %ml) disro*en 'l%im (rom !""9 th%t 'lim%te s'ientists h%d suressed rese%r'h 5ndings to =hide the de'line/ th%t h%d o''urred in glo&%l temer%ture3- Three se%r%te in6uiries (ound this h%d not &een the '%se- As Editor, )ou %re o( 'ourse entitled to t%e wh%te*er editori%l line )ou (eel is %rori%te- Are )ou %w%re, howe*er, how seriousl) )ou m%) &e 'omromising The Times/ reut%tion &) ursuing % line th%t 'le%*es so tightl) to % %rti'ul%r %gend%, %nd whi'h is &%sed on su'h Dims) e*iden'e The imli'%tions (or )our 'redi&ilit) e7tend &e)ond )our energ) %nd 'lim%te 'h%nge 'o*er%ge- Wh) should %n) re%der who nows %&out energ) %nd 'lim%te 'h%nge rese't )our oliti'%l %n%l)sis, )our &usiness 'omment%r), e*en )our sorts reorts, when in this one imort%nt %re% )ou %re re%red to rioritise the m%rgin%l o*er the m%instre%m  Two %se'ts %re %rti'ul%rl) 'on'erning- The 5rst is th%t neither the 6u%lit) &%r th%t &ro%dsheet news%ers regul%rl) %l) to s'ienti5' e*iden'e, nor the simle 'on'et o( &%l%n'e, %e%r to e7ist in %ll o( )our %er/s reorting on 'lim%te 'h%nge <%lthough we note, (or e7%mle, th%t )our 'o*er%ge %t the 'lose o( the 2%ris 'lim%te summit w%s &oth &%l%n'ed %nd 'omrehensi*e?- The se'ond 'on'ern is th%t m%n) o( the su&+st%nd%rd news stories %nd oinion

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ie'es %e%r to 'on'ern, in some w%), GW2F- Whether %n) news%er should in*ol*e itsel( ree%tedl) with %n) ressure grou is % m%tter (or de&%te it would &e deel) ertur&ing to 5nd th%t % %er %s eminent %s The Times 'ould %llow % sm%ll NG, %rti'ul%rl) one whose sour'es o( 5n%n'ing %re unnown, % high degree o( inDuen'e-2le%se do not mist%e our 'omments %s %n %tt%' on ress (reedom-Nothing 'ould &e (urther (rom the truth- A he%lth), *i&r%nt, in6uisiti*e ress is % *it%l 'omonent o( % m%ture demo'r%'), %nd neither s'ien'e nor green3 &usiness should &e e7emt (rom roer s'rutin)- But trust is %lso essenti%l (or %n) news%er, %rti'ul%rl) one %s distinguished %s The Times- 4( )ou lose trust, )ou lose e*er)thing %nd on this issue, )ou %re losing trust- We re'ognise th%t energ) %nd 'lim%te 'h%nge %re 'omle7 issues in whi'h it is o(ten h%rd to distinguish (%'t (rom (%&ri'%tion- ;owe*er, 'lim%te s'ien'e h%s ro*en rem%r%&l) ro&ust to ree%ted s'rutin), %nd multile lines o( e*iden'e indi'%te th%t 'lim%te 'h%nge %nd o'e%n %'idi5'%tion ose serious %nd in're%sing riss (or the (uture-  There %re di*ergent *iews on the &est oli') resonse, %nd these issues need wide dis'ussion- But there is %&und%nt e*iden'e %lso th%t de'%r&onised energ) s)stems '%n ro*ide energ) se'urit) %t re%son%&le 'ost i( the) %re roerl) l%nned- As eole who h%*e t%en 'onsider%&le interest in these issues o*erm%n) )e%rs, we would, with rese't, urge th%t )ou m%e these (%'tsthe 'entreie'e o( de&%te reDe'ted in )our 'o*er%ge, r%ther th%n the *iewoints o( one highl) m%rgin%l %nd in're%singl) out+d%ted ressure grou- ours sin'erel)  John Kre&s <on &eh%l( o( the n%mes listed &elow?Lord Kre&s Kt FS The t e*d %nd t ;on i'h%rd h%rtres KH hStJ 2 FSALord $e&en 2Lord ;unt o( hesterton B FS

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