InsideClimate, Grist and Desmog Smear Trump Appointees as Climate 'Deniers'

Aly Nielsen
March 29th, 2017 1:04 PM
Font Size

Liberal climate blogs have insulted climate change skeptics with a term reminiscent of Holocaust deniers almost every other day — just since Donald Trump’s election.

InsideClimate News, DeSmogBlog and Grist smeared people skeptical of claims about man-made climate change labeling them “deniers” on Twitter at least 69 times combined between Nov. 8, 2016, and March 27, 2017.  

“In Trump, U.S. puts a climate denier in its highest office and all climate change action in limbo,” InsideClimate tweeted on Nov. 9. InsideClimate also vilified numerous Trump appointees for not promoting climate change alarmism:

https://twitter.com/insideclimate/status/808861572198109184

When Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined Trump’s EPA transition team, InsideClimate lashed out at him as well:

InsideClimate’s website also attacked Ebell, accusing him of writing a “denialist, alt-science memo.”

Another 20 “denier” tweets by InsideClimate generically attacked anyone who did not buy its version regarding the threat of climate change.

DeSmog Blog followed InsideClimate’s example and used “denier” in 29 tweets to attack Trump appointees and climate skeptics. DeSmog also called their logic “baffling,” and asked for financial support because “deniers” were “trying to take over govt.”

Grist’s 20 offensive “denier” tweets followed the same pattern; attacking both individual appointees and climate change skeptics in general.

Grist also ran a promotional video on the “Dirty Deplorables:” Trump advisors that it labeled “Climate deniers, Anti-science, Fossil fuel mouthpieces.”

As offensive as the repeated Holocaust references were, are nothing new and are certainly not a matter of ignorance. In 2006, Grist writer David Roberts wrote “we should have war crimes trials for these bastards -- some sort of climate Nuremberg.” Roberts later apologized and tried to downplay the analogy, but still defended himself on twitter, saying man-made climate change skepticism as a “monstrously immoral thing.”

The original column still remains on Grist’s website.

The Associated Press stylebook condemned calling climate change skeptics “deniers” October 2015, but liberal climate alarmist blogs refuse to comply.

“Use climate change doubters or those who reject mainstream climate science and to avoid the use of skeptics or deniers,” the AP recommended, “Those who reject climate science say the phrase denier has a pejorative ring of Holocaust denier.”

Even CNN, CBS, The New York Times and The Washington Post have used the term “denier” to smear critics of man-made climate change rhetoric.

InsideClimate News, DeSmog Blog and Grist have all been funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which partly funded the #ExxonKnew campaign.

InsideClimate has also received donations from the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Park Foundation and the Marisla Foundation.

The Schmidt Family Foundation, Packard Foundation, Ford Foundation, Grantham Foundation, Park Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors have all funded Grist as well.

Donor Privacy Policy