The British showed it in March. The Swedes in April. Now, the Aussies are going to air it.

When will American television?

In this case, “it” refers to the British documentary “The Great Global Warming Swindle” (video available here) which presents the other side of the climate change debate the media and folks like soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore don’t want you to hear.

As reported by News.com.au (emphasis added throughout):

The Great Global Warming Swindle, to be aired by the national broadcaster in July, is the ideological opposite to Al Gore's acclaimed movie An Inconvenient Truth.

The documentary rebuts mounting scientific evidence that global warming is caused predominantly by human activity, and says it's the result of changes in radiation from the sun.

ABC in Australia obviously has a much firmer grasp of the journalistic principle of showing both sides of an issue rather than advancing an agenda:

Channel 4 defended the film, as has ABC director of television Kim Dalton, on the basis that all sides of the hotly contested global warming debate deserved to be represented.

“Currently the issue of global warming is being debated around the world,” Mr Dalton said.

“This documentary presents a controversial side to that debate.”

[…]

“There are people who still question the link between human activity and global warming. I believe it's important that these views are heard and debated,” Mr Dalton said.

In an article on Sunday, I asked the following questions:

Have you noticed that most of the articles you see that are skeptical about man’s role in climate change come from foreign publications based in countries like Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada?

Why do you think that is?

Are the American press too emotionally attached to the issue -- and, in particular, the chief spokesman, soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore -- to even consider the possibility that the debate isn't over, and that their role as journalists is supposed to be to further discussion rather than squelch it?

With that in mind, as “An Inconvenient Truth” has now been shown on cable, and likely will make it to a broadcast network in the upcoming months, when will American television follow in the footsteps of Great Britain, Sweden, and Australia?

Or, do we Americans have to continue to look towards foreign media to learn about the other side of this crucial issue?

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.