Brewer spoke with Politico reporter Erica Lovely about the emails in which scientists referred to a “trick” to conceal evidence that contradicted predicted warming trends. Brewer explained: “...there’s a Penn State scientist Michael Mann....He says the word ‘trick’ doesn’t actually refer to any kind of deception, but to a very well-known accepted data technique.” Lovely saw nothing improper in concealing data: “They wanted to keep it out of some of the international reports that the United Nations would be looking at, you know, just to – to move the global talks forward.”
After Brewer suggested the use of the word “trick” as “just semantics,” Lovely agreed: “Sure....They’ll use language that maybe to us would look like, you know, something fishy is going on. But to them this is just everyday speak.” Lovely again defended their actions: “...they’ve been working so many decades trying to get some traction on the global warming science that they really can’t afford to have much detracting science get out.”
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Having throughly dismissed the controversy, Brewer moved on to discuss the Copenhagen climate conference, asking Lovely: “Are you expecting some big work to be done in Copenhagen or is this still all going to be done behind the scenes, country by country?” Lovely enthusiastically praised the summit: “No, this is going to be huge in Copenhagen. We’ve got two weeks, we’ve got hundreds of nations together, thousands – tens of thousands of people attending.”
She was particularly excited about one special guest: “Not to mention that Obama is going to show up at the very last minute, kind of for the whiz bang finish. He’s really kind of the frosting on the cake as far as these deliberations go. And it’s really expected that if he shows up he’s basically signaling the United States is ready to move forward and it’s ready to lead the rest of the world to get some sort of solution.”
Brewer concluded the segment: “Well, and given the EPA’s declaration today, finally, that greenhouse gases are bad for you, at least we’re seeing movement on that front.”
On NBC’s Today on Monday, correspondent Anne Thompson similarly dismissed the ClimateGate scandal: “...some stolen e-mails that has skeptics, once again, questioning the whole idea of global warming....But does this controversy change the science? A team of explorers will present findings on Arctic ice melt in Copenhagen, findings that have nothing to do with the e-mails.”
Here is a full transcript of the MSNBC segment:
2:52PM
CONTESSA BREWER: In fewer than two hours, President Obama will meet with former Vice President Al Gore at the White House to talk about global warming, ahead of the President’s trip to Copenhagen’s summit next week. Meanwhile scandal has discolored the beginning of the U.N. climate change talks today. Some scientists saw their e-mails leaked to the media and they have stirred up debate over whether global warming’s been exaggerated for political purposes.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It just confirmed what a lot of scientists thought, that things are not right. That there’s data being massaged, there’s complete obstruction.
BREWER: Erica Lovely’s a reporter for Politico, so what’s the scoop here? What was in those e-mails that was so controversial?
ERICA LOVELY: So basically these e-mails show that a number of different scientists working on this issue of global warming occasionally wanted to withhold some of the reports on climate change that didn’t really show the planet warming that quickly. They wanted to keep it out of some of the international reports that the United Nations would be looking at, you know, just to – to move the global talks forward. And the problem with this is, it makes the scientists look like they are – they’re not, you know, basically corresponding well with the research and the data that – that needs to move forward.
BREWER: But – but I mean isn’t some of this about semantics that scientists use. For instance, there’s a Penn State scientist Michael Mann, who’s defending the use of the phrase ‘Mike’s nature trick.’ He says the word ‘trick’ doesn’t actually refer to any kind of deception, but to a very well-known accepted data technique. Let me play it.
MICHAEL MANN: It was all clearly labeled in the paper. There was nothing secret about it. What the person meant was, it was a clever approach to the problem.
BREWER: I mean is someone using differences in semantics to try and play up a controversy that’s not really there?
LOVELY: Sure. I mean, this is the perfect piece of evidence for global cooling skeptics to use in these climate talks. And secondly, this is the kind of language that scientists just use from time to time. I mean, they’re just corresponding personally with each other. They’ll use different references. They’ll use language that maybe to us would look like, you know, something fishy is going on. But to them this is just everyday speak. You know, this is an issue that they’re concerned with. And largely they’ve been working so many decades trying to get some traction on the global warming science that they really can’t afford to have much detracting science get out. And this was definitely, obviously, a point of concern to them.
BREWER: Alright, are you expecting some big work to be done in Copenhagen or is this still all going to be done behind the scenes, country by country?
LOVELY: No, this is going to be huge in Copenhagen. We’ve got two weeks, we’ve got hundreds of nations together, thousands – tens of thousands of people attending. Not to mention that Obama is going to show up at the very last minute, kind of for the whiz bang finish. He’s really kind of the frosting on the cake as far as these deliberations go. And it’s really expected that if he shows up he’s basically signaling the United States is ready to move forward and it’s ready to lead the rest of the world to get some sort of solution.
BREWER: Well, and given the EPA’s declaration today, finally, that greenhouse gases are bad for you, at least we’re seeing movement on that front. Erica, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate that.
LOVELY: Thank you.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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Comments Policy
"Climategate Deniers"!
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 17:52 ET by Dr.DoctrineNow the psycho-libs have become "climategate-deniers"!
Trust me, I'm a Doctor.
I guess..................
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:11 ET by Patriot IIthose two simple minded broads will not mind total control over their lives when gore and his fellow scum take over control of all energy, which means ALL utilities! You don't play along, no gas, no play? no electricity.....no keeping up with the plan.....no water (it has to have electricity to pump it).............aha...you get it now bimbos?
It's disgraceful...
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 22:19 ET by unkeeafThis is nothing short of propaganda. Seriously, have they no shame? That was a rhetorical question.
Oh well, have yourself a good laugh:
http://bit.ly/65tWOs
Will they love Gore in 90
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 22:35 ET by Radical1979Will they love Gore in 90 degree weather when he's sitting in air conditioning and they're sweltering barely able to afford fans?
SLIP
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 17:58 ET by newstogodI think this woman's brain slipped out. This must be real news not FOX news. Not really funny actually sad.
Contessa Brewer further
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:05 ET by BeukeboomContessa Brewer further proves that real, legitimate journalism is very dead.
I realize this is petty, but.....
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 22:17 ET by motherbeltDoes anyone else have the urge to just slap that smirk right off Brewer's face???
MOTHERBELT...
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 01:17 ET by danybhoyNo, as a guy, no. I don't hit women. I'll settle for throwing a paper bag over her head. I don't need to see this dork. She makes Kiren Chetry sound smart, & she ain't smart.
"...How blind can you be, don't you see...
...that the gambler lost all he does not have..."
Nightwish
The MSNBC storyline
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:06 ET by BKeyserThe MSNBC storyline goes...something...like...this.
Keep dancin' Tess.
I used to joke that news
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:11 ET by celatorI used to joke that news readers like Contessa Brewer had been hypnotized or were in a permanent trance that made them lie to us every day.
But, mercy, what else explains their denial of what is in front of their very own eyes--in this case, a clear case of cooked climate data being used by politicians to steal yet more money from citizens?
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
"They’ll use language
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:12 ET by wolfemanic"They’ll use language that maybe to us would look like, you know, something fishy is going on."
Of course..that explaines it........they cripted their messages with a special language.
We just need to go back and read the emails with the Al Gore super duper secret alphabet decoder.
Well, yeah
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 21:06 ET by FranksamLike a lot of us might use special words like "isn't this a lot of f&%$ing Bulls#&^", and only we know amongst ourselves what we mean by these special words. It's almost like speaking in dialect, and we can't expect Contessa and others to understand what we're saying because they're not special like us. In other words, they are stupid f*&^in dumba&&^& and couldn't find their A&&es with two hands and a road map. But that's the big difference between them and people who know that there is more to reading than being able to pronounce the words.
Yes, Obama is the frosting on everyone's cake
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:13 ET by SickofLibsAnd he's going to show up at the very last minute for the whiz-bang finish.
Anyone interested in any Chicago 2016 Olympics souvenirs, cheap?
He could be the icing on the
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:16 ET by celatorHe could be the icing on the cake?
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
My thoughts exactly sick.
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:39 ET by Radical1979My thoughts exactly sick. The only icing on the cake for these people will be is if Obama apologizes for the U.S. again and promises to kill our economy for a myth.
Wait, I had a rough day
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 21:11 ET by FranksamI'm a little confused. Was it Obama's wife that hit him with a golf club? I don't tweet or twitter or whatever, so maybe I'm just behind the curve here. A little help, please?
You'd think that after
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:26 ET by bse5150You'd think that after Lovely all but admits there's evidence this whole thing is a fraud but has to be kept quiet so they don't lose the fortune they've put into it, that Lovely would start to realize maybe this should be investigated further.
But, true to Liberals, it's Liberalism first and anything else be damned.
Group mind think at work
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:39 ET by jcrapes4"And largely they’ve been working so many decades trying to get some traction on the global warming science that they really can’t afford to have much detracting science get out"
Wow opposing science is seen as detracting. If you agree with the hive mind good. If you disagree with the hive mind bad. So its ok to fix the numbers because there MUST be man made global warming. Got it thanks for clearing that up MSDNC.
Dispicable
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 23:05 ET by TylerPKeep passing out the kool - aid. The sheepeople will drink it eventually. It has worked so many times in the past for them.
"Trick refers to a very well-known accepted data technique"
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 18:59 ET by SickofLibsWould you think that SOMEONE (hello, Brewer?) would question that lameass excuse and locate even ONE example where the word "trick" was used in research? Anybody who found it would be a hero. (hello, Brewer?)
But no. Mr. Scientist Mann said so, so we're running with it.
is there no show prep or research any more?
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:33 ET by wizardjrHow could you possibly do show prep research on such a controversy and not come up with some very good news points? I mean other than, "Move along. Nothing to see here."
I begin to suspect that this is a lot like 'The President's Analyst' movie. These news mumblers are all just animatronic androids (or is that hemorroids?) and their output is from the same source as TOTUS' teleprompter. Very scary.
Yeah, Wiz
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 20:17 ET by SickofLibsThese frickkin' idiots like Brewer (she must have SOME staff other than hair/makeup: nah) don't even bother to do a 2-minute google search any of the crap they pontificate on.
I mean I can't think of a single other profession that has ZERO standards, white or blue collar.
what??
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:01 ET by charlietexasshe didnt say whiz bang did she??? omg whiz bang.....I havent heard that since high school and it wasnt a nice thing to say. what an idiot
→ Who's at fault?
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:11 ET by Cool ArrowOK, those of us men who went to college are familiar with these educated Liberal Arts bimbos. We played to their sense of "altruistic chic" while plying them liberally with libation and smoke.
Worked like a charm, back in the day.
So they've taken their Liberal Arts educations to the next level where older men with sympathetic shoulders still use them for all the good those sheepskins are worth.
Suddenly they, et ilk, Chris, Contessa, Keith, and Erica are the toast of DC, where dreams are fulfilled on the backs of those sordid working folk who, long ago, quit pandering to their Liberal fantasies.
Everybody gets something out of the transaction unless it's real news and real analysis you're expecting from them.
My bad.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
NBC = Propaganda & News Deptartment no longer exists.
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:18 ET by pahuberI know... this is obvious, but should be stated. However, I suppose they do not even know the definition of shame.
Even when the global warming
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:18 ET by Mitchell BlattEven when the global warming conspiracyists try to push their radical agenda they always end up inadvertantly admitting it's a scam. Like this gem from MSNBComcast:
“They wanted to keep it out of some of the international reports that the United Nations would be looking at, you know, just to – to move the global talks forward.”
Yeah, that's the whole reason it's a scam. Because they omitted the data in order to move their radical government takeover plans forward.
MiniTruth is working
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:31 ET by RR GOPMiniTruth is working overtime on this story I see. Who we at war with again, EastAsia?
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
sad to say, nothing new
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:46 ET by bertkillianDo we really believe that the MSM "newsreaders" would somehow get a lightning strike from the media heaven, and suddenly start to be REAL journalists? To suddenly start to let curiosity drive them? No way! Human shaped teleprompter robots cannot possibly posess the ability to ascertain real or perceived information. Man, am I glad we have NewsBusters.
"As Dumb as Contessa Brewer"
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:46 ET by BW222How long will lt be before "as dumb as Contessa Brewer" becomes a common American term?
BW222
→ It's overdue 222
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:52 ET by Cool ArrowHow long has Anna Nicole Smith been dead and still no successor?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Nice
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 19:52 ET by rammingspeedThese two boneheads literally admitted that climate changes science was phonied up. Jesus H. Christ.
decades
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 20:14 ET by goldboughThe woman said the scientists have been working for several decades on global warming science. Wasn't global cooling all the rage just a few decades ago? Is cooling or warming all up to the scientists' whim and what they feel like today?
AH HA!
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 22:14 ET by stage9You're finally starting to see how the scientific community really works! So much for "blind data" huh?
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge
Anyone remember the movie
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 20:18 ET by BeukeboomAnyone remember the movie "Wag The Dog"? Notice how much of it is coming to fruition?
The media that are not really there.
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 21:23 ET by metaphorsbwithuWhat we actually have is "News media that are not really there!"
Will at least one of these apologists find the journalistic integrity to ask WHAT the TRICK is? Or is the word out that their career is doomed if they speak up?
NO ONE has said it was a secret. In fact, the "trick" has been exposed since 2003!
http://bit.ly/8Rsj9t
Mann's "trick" was to drop the use of data sources (tree-ring data) when it ceased to give him the results he wanted, and then substitute "supposed" real temperature data in the latter 20th century which gave him the alleged rise in temperatures.
A rational peron would ask, "If the tree-ring data post 1960 gave lower temperatures than he wanted, what would make you think the old tree-ring data generated accurate temperature measurements over 1,000 years?
Add to that the discovery only tree-rings from a certain tree in Siberia were used while hundreds of others discarded because they didn't give the result Mann and others wanted to see.
http://bit.ly/5nUVoH
The cover-up of basic facts like this boggles the mind! The fact that they can pull the wool over people's eyes when there is so much evidence to cast doubt on every bit of research that has been conducted leaves you wondering what has happened to comon sense.
To think these people stand to forever alter the lives and well-being of bilions of people and no one is exposing their scam!
metaphorsbwithu
Well, when you make your living...
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 21:56 ET by stage9broadcasting lies and distortions red flags rarely go up when someone else does it. That could be the reason this appears to be so strange for the likes of Ms Brewer.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge
number of viewers
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 00:14 ET by jon_torlinHere's this to consider: We have 300 million people in this country.(Not counting those here illegally, but you get the point) What were the viewer ratings for some of those shows, like maybe in the hundreds of thousands? I know it's more for the Fox News Channel, but I'm talking about CNN/MSNBC and ABC/CBS/NBC.
So what are the other 275 million others doing at the time those other 25 million people watching (I know, this is a generous number, I imagine it could be way less, but bear with me) are watching these various news shows/talking heads/yaddayadda?
Ok, let's go a step further: Some 66 million people voted for Dat One while 58 million voted for the Insane One.
What were 176 million people doing at this time? Is it that much voter apathy?(My guess is yes, there is) Obviously from the election alone, doesn't matter as to the winner except one is destroying our country, the other would have probably given it away by reaching across the aisle. Or was it plain massive ignorance that the Americans were left with those two choices when there were so much better ones?
Just wondering, curious as to thoughts on these. After all, if ClimatGate were allowed to go on due to ignorance, how far does that ignorance go?
-Jon
now we know
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 01:24 ET by sudmufWell after almost 2 weeks of nonreporting of the biggest scandal of the century (so far) we now know how the lamestream media has decided to cover the issue. Their story is: it's not a story, no problem here, nothing to see, no big deal. AGW exists and something must be done about it because the AGW alarmists have said so for years. It's settled. We know what's good for you. So all you stupid people get ready to do exactly what the elites tell you to do .
Of course real science tells us AGW is a hoax and always has been. There is no doubt the climate data was manipulated. The tyranny they plan to force on us will cause revolt and probably civil war. The same thing goes for Obamacare which is just another aspect of tha same kind of liberal, progressive, leftist, socialist, fascist, nazi, marxist, statist thinking.
The word TRICK
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 01:42 ET by dark_dsThey are correct, there are various uses of the word trick not just manipulating scientific data ...Hookers turn TRICKs and I am afraid this is what is being done to the United States via Copenhagen
_______ Him and the Unicorn he rode in on
dd... Yep...and this
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 01:59 ET by bigtimerdd...
Yep...and this isn't going to be any 'cheap trick' in the end ...not with what the EPA in conjuction with 'O' did today.
Nothing like a mandated trick...eh?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126013960013179181.html
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Politico dingbat
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 05:11 ET by konoErica should be sued for false advertising: nothing Lovely about her but her hair (which appears to be the only source of weight her head has). I have to agree with bse5150's remark: How she and other Libs can be so selectively oblivious -- seemingly without realizing it -- is beyond me.
The brainless wonder refers to Obama as "kind of the frosting on the cake," and I have to agree.... vomit frosting on dogshit cake.
Preaching to the Quire
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 06:19 ET by Joe-OaktonIt’s obvious by their ratings that MSLSD is only preaching to the quire
An armed society is a polite society
A matter of semantics?
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 10:20 ET by GalvanicPlease explain the semantics in . . . .
"We're refusing to provide you our data as requested under the Freedom of Information Act."
. . . and . . .
"We've destroyed our raw data."
Maybe these so-called journalists can tell us what the CRU really meant.