Climate skeptics are claiming that they show scientific misconduct that amounts to the complete fabrication of man-made global warming. We find that to be unfounded. Full Story »
Posted by Subramanya Sastry - via Markos Moulitsas, FactCheck
This story addresses a major developing news story in a thoughtful and analytical manner. It addresses the major claims made about the "Climategate" scandal, highlighting the relevant facts and providing appropriate context to understand the implications of the story. The e-mails that are the topic of the article are provided for reference and sources are available for both the climate change claims and claims about on-going investigations. Ultimately, this article is effective in communicating its central thesis using data from multiple sources to fortify the argument.
The “trick” that Jones was writing about in his 1999 e-mail was simply adding the actual, measured instrumental data into a graph of historic temperatures. Jones says it’s a “trick” in the colloquial sense of an adroit feat — “a clever thing to do,” as he put it — not a deception. What’s hidden is the fact that tree-ring data in recent decades doesn’t track with thermometer measurements.
The use of the words “trick” and “hide” have been the lightning rods for criticism. This quote explains how these words are used in context.