Science Friday: Let The Games Begin

Several years ago, Environmental Science & Technology reporter Paul D. Thacker began writing about the hidden ties between apparent grassroots organizations and big business. He had become aware of an entire industry of "product defense"--industry-funded, pseudoscientific propaganda groups which front as consumer or scientific watchdogs. These phony groups seed the media with spin and manufacture doubt about everything from the danger of second hand smoke to climate change and clear cutting. When a board member of the American Chemical Society, which publishes his journal, complained about Thacker's reporting, his editors told him to stop:

Science Fiction -- He didn't. Several months later, Thacker unearthed documents proving that the White House had tried to prevent scientists from speaking out about the link between climate change and the increasing strength of hurricanes. He says ES&T refused to allow him to print the story, so he found a home for it at salon.com. Then, he says, he was fired from ES&T.

The piece was ultimately published in Salon and can be viewed after watching a short advertisement:

Climate Controlled White House --Commerce's deputy director of communications, Chuck Fuqua, was happy to have a more politically reliable NOAA hurricane researcher named Chris Landsea speak to the press. At the time, Landsea was stating publicly that global warming had little to no effect on hurricanes. "Please make sure Chris is on message and that it is a friendly discussion," Fuqua wrote regarding a request for Landsea to appear on "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer." On the show, Landsea downplayed research that linked global warming with more-intense hurricanes like Katrina..

Thacker discovered that Chuck Fuqua--surprise, surprise--was a Republican media operative. In 2004, he was director of media relations for the Republican National Convention. Some of the documents he found for the Salon story were later released by Congressman Waxman and can be viewed here.

Based partly on his reporting, 14 Senators launched an investigation into abuses by the White House of climate change science.

It's rather sad that ES&T, a peer reviewed journal ostensibly dedicated to free inquiry and legitimate science, would have caved in to pressure from the anti-science faction. But such is the reach of the neocon control freaks and their well financed pseudopodia. Fortunately, with Democrats now in control of the House Science Committee and the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, that miserable rabble may soon be exiting stage left. After all, "Elections have consequences ...' So, let the games begin.

You can report suspected or known science policy abuse to the House Committee on Science anonymous Tipline or email Dan Pearson with the Democratic staff of the Science Committee: NC13.ScienceIntegrity [at] mail.house.gov.