UPDATE: 1/23/12 11AMPST Exposed – Forecastthefacts.org is a George Soros funded activist website. See details below.
By Michael A. Lewis, PhD. and Anthony Watts
Some one or some organization is attempting to influence the upcoming annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).
According to WCTV-TV’s story Urging American Meteorological Society to Get Tougher on Climate Change, a program called Forecast the Facts is attempting to lobby the AMS to change their 5-year policy on climate change to a new policy “drafted by a panel of [unidentified] experts” (emphasis added).
A new campaign, Forecast the Facts (www.forecastthefacts.org), launches Sunday to pressure TV meteorologists to inform their viewers about climate change. The launch coincides with the kick-off of the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) annual meeting in New Orleans, LA.
“This is an important moment in the history of the AMS,” said Daniel Souweine, the campaign’s director. “It’s well known that large numbers of meteorologists are climate change deniers. It’s essential that the AMS Council resist pressure from these deniers and pass the strong statement currently under consideration.”
The “Campaign Director” is identified as Daniel Souweine. The Forecast the Facts web site turns out to be a product of “Citizen Engagement Laboratory (CEL).”
And who is the Chief of Staff of CEL? You guessed it: Daniel Souweine. Here’s his Facebook page.
The web site describes CEL as: “a non-profit, non-partisan organization that uses digital media and technology to amplify the voices of underrepresented constituencies. We seek to empower individuals to take collective action on the issues that concern them, promoting a world of greater equality and justice in the process.”
But as we see elsewhere, in the green incubator building description of CEL at the David Brower Center at 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA, that “non-partisan” claim doesn’t match this description:
So much for the “truth in advertising”.
They also go to trouble to obfuscate their website domain, here is the WHOIS results for forecastthefacts.org and .com:
Interesting thing though, is that when you check to see what other web servers are at the same domain IP address, you discover a whole flock of political activist websites:
Turn Off Fox, “bastadobbs” (to get Lou Dobbs fired from CNN), occupyhomes ( an occupywallstreet spinoff), and trail2010 (a website pushing a vote for the Dream Act) are just a few of the “non-partisan” websites run by the same outfit on the same server.
And then there’s the usual suspects friends of forecastthefacts.org
The CEL web site lists 350.org as a “Partner,” which describes itself as: “building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are led from the bottom up by thousands of volunteer organizers in over 188 countries.”
Sounds like birds of a feather, even though they are both attempting to lobby a major national organization to change a policy that affects all of its members… from the top down. Hardly grass-roots organization. And hardly on behalf of “underrepresented constituencies.”
Evidently, grassroots meteorologists are insufficiently toeing the line when it comes to laying weather patterns at the feet of “global warming.” Someone unnamed wants them to publicly join the global warming bandwagon in blaming human CO2 emissions for observed climate change, ignoring the uncertainty of climate science, ignoring all evidence to the contrary, insisting on one single simplistic explanation for climate change.
Here’s the video where they roll out their immutable “weather is not climate unless we say it is” logic:
TV weather presenters, even those who are qualified meteorologists endorsed by the AMS, are the most visible source of public information about weather and climate. They appear daily to billions of people, and whether or not it is a good idea, their “opinions” about climate change carry a lot of weight in popular culture. It’s no wonder that those whose interests are served by spreading fear of climate change in support of a predetermined economic outcome are after these “grass roots” who fail to tremble in fear of natural climate phenomena.
This is not grass roots, this is Big Money come to the service of shadowy figures in the background of international politics and economics. Who profits from fear of climate change? Who is funding this program to gag independent meteorologists and TV weather presenters?
This is part of a concerted behind-the-scenes program funded by monied interests to subvert all elements of environmental awareness and activism to the cause of money and power, political and economic influence. Global warming hyperbole has been used to discredit free-thinking, independent scientific research, free expression, free thought and free action. The individuals and corporations funding this movement are laying the ground work for society controlled by corporate-government-military oligarchies to maintain the economic and political status quo.
Follow the money…
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Now here is where this campaign is likely to backfire, and backfire big. These activist dolts don’t know much about television news, or they would have figured this out ahead of time. I spent over two decades of my life in TV news, so let me (Anthony) tell it like it is.
The front page of forecasthefacts.org has a list of who has been naughty and the statement:
In order to convince meteorologists to forecast the facts, we have to know where they stand. So we’re tracking meteorologists’ attitudes toward climate change across the country.
They also want you to “rat out” your local TV weathercaster/meteorologist:
Know what your meteorologist thinks? Drop us a line: tips@forecastthefacts.org
They have a “methodology” for who gets on the list:
Forecast the Facts defines a denier as anyone who expressly refutes the overwhelming scientific consensus about climate change: that it is real, largely caused by humans, and already having profound impacts on our world. Forecast the Facts also includes meteorologists who have suggested that extreme cold spells or snowstorms disprove climate science. We track the views of meteorologists through their on-air statements, blog posts, social media activity, public appearances, interviews, and interactions with viewers.
I love this retarded logic: Forecast the Facts also includes meteorologists who have suggested that extreme cold spells or snowstorms disprove climate science. The inverse logic of course that any meteorologist who suggests that a heat wave or drought “proves climate science” gets a pass.
Idiots.
What these bought and paid for CEL activists (and apparently also the American Meteorological Society) don’t understand is the following:
1. Most TV weathercast segments run 2:30 to 3:30 in length. Because they are done mostly ad lib, they are often called upon by the newscast producer to cut time after the news segments typically run long after live shots or wordy live interviews…I’ve done this thousands of times. Climate? – hardly ever enough time to even mention.
2. TV stations are about ratings, and ratings are what determine revenue. They really don’t give a rat’s patootie about climate unless it helps make a buck. Note the statistics cited by CEL – the public isn’t believing it either. If someone tries to challenge the TV station on the issue, the management will most likely instruct their news department and meteorologists to not say anything either way to avoid aggravating the viewers. As topics go, climate isn’t an important topic except to a handful of viewers, they just want to know when it will rain and if there’s a weather bulletin that affects them. Politicizing a “cause” in a weather bulletin will piss off viewers like you can’t imagine. They’d be fools to touch it with a 40 foot pole.
3. Television news is a fickle beast, more so that just about any occupation. TV weathercasters and meteorologists are almost all on contract, some as short as a year, some as long as three years. Will anyone who wants to get their contract renewed take on an issue from a shadowy political hack in Berkeley that will piss off about half their viewers? Not likely. Most TV weathercasters and meteorologists I know stay neutral on the subject on-air for this reason.
4. The CEL and AMS cite the weathercaster survey, which was put together by George Mason University. See my report on it here. Amazingly, these geniuses think that what weathercasters and meteorologists answer in a written survey translates directly to what goes on-air every night, yeah right. See 1-3 above.
5. CEL is making a “list” of TV weathercasters and meteorologists who aren’t toeing the line as the paymasters of CEL want them to. They are labeled “deniers” and called out by name. I expect letters will go out to TV stations and maybe also to letters to the editor of local newspapers. This sort of labeling and pressure will be a fatal move. Why? Because it is actionable. You see as I said above, TV stations are about ratings, and ratings are what determine revenue. And when some organization starts smearing the news team, that becomes actionable, especially if it coincides with a drop in ratings. Monetary losses can be shown, and linked right back to CEL’s campaign to calling the local weathercaster a “denier”. Most TV stations are group owned, and these media groups all have legal departments specifically trained to deal with this sort of defamation.
Personally, I hope some TV station sues the living crap out of these bozos and whoever is paying them to be a “non-partisan” activist that apparently doesn’t know the first thing about television news.
But, it will probably fail long before that, as the money for this silliness dries up because it won’t be effective.
In the meantime, here’s what I’d like to ask the readers of WUWT to do:
1. Email this article to your local TV weathercaster/meteorologist. Let them know they are going to be the target of a paid political activist campaign out of Berkeley that has nothing to do with the American Meteorological Society.
2. If you are a member of the American Meteorological Society, let them know how tacky and misguided this would be to get into bed with such an organization. If they do, consider resigning, because who needs this sort of stuff from an organization you pay dues to? This is Teamsters style thinking and ask yourself – how does it help you get your next job or keep the one you have?
I find the National Weather Association to be far more sensible and practical.
3. If you see your local local TV weathercaster/meteorologist listed as a “denier” on the forecastthefacts.com website, let them know so they can alert their legal department that they are being defamed professionally. Your local TV station website also has contacts for the news director and general manager, contact them too.
4. If you see letters to the editor in your local newspapers attacking local TV weathercaster/meteorologists, back them up with facts, and write a letter of support.
Help keep your local TV weather report free of political activisim!
Thanks for your consideration – Anthony Watts
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UPDATE: Forecastthefacts.org (operated by Citizen Engagement Lab) is a George Soros funded activist website. Here’s the proof (h/t to WUWT reader Jan):
Source: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/focus/democracy/grants/social/grantees/cel
Further, the director of CEL’s forecastthefacts.org Daniel Souweine, his Facebook page has an interesting exercise in selective censorship.
He agrees that the Protect IP act is a bridge too far in censorship, but thinks it is OK to shut down free speech and open discourse on the public airwaves by targeting TV meteorologists and weathercasters who don’t toe the line on their view of climate.
What a guy!
UPDATE2: The AMS has no plans to pay any attention to these guys, nor the petition they submitted. This from the AMS blog, bold mine:
A Statement on Statements: Works in Progress
Today at its annual January meeting, the AMS Council will hear a report from a committee of expert members on the progress of a new revision to its Information Statement on Climate Change.
To say that the AMS’s current statement on this topic is “oft-cited,” particularly by advocates of strong action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, would be an understatement. It represented the best of climate science when it was adopted in February 2007, and includes such wording as:
strong observational evidence and results from modeling studies indicate that, at least over the last 50 years, human activities are a major contributor to climate change
And
increases in greenhouse gases are nearly certain to produce continued increases in temperature.
But despite the importance of keeping the public up to date on advancing climate science, don’t expect any major decisions in New Orleans. In fact, adoption of the updated Statement isn’t even on the Council’s agenda.
Actually, approval of the update would be forbidden by Council policy that requires a 30-day period to allow comments by members.
@Christopher Hanley
” (Trying to be a pale imitation of the hero of the Yes Minister series Bernard Woolley)
Forecast the Facts” is an oxymoron — you can’t forecast facts…”
(Trying to be a pale imitation of the real power in ‘Yes Minister’ series, Sir Humphery)
“Of course you can forecast facts, Bernard! Facts are infinitely malleable things. We DEFINE what they are. If we need a particular policy to be followed, we provide a suitable set of facts to support it. If that policy needs to be reversed, another set of facts will be provided. Often the same set of facts will do, presented in a different way. It is quite surprising how many different courses of action one set of facts can support, presented in different permutations.
Facts are the ammunition we provide to Ministers to enable them to do their job of fighting for our policies and budgets. How well could we fight these battles if we could not anticipate the requirement for different calibres of ammunition and have it shipped to the Front? Really, Bernard – if I might offer a little forecast of my own, it is that your annual report is hovering dangerously close to a ‘D’ marking on soundness of judgement…”
Not trying to turn too fine a point here but…
“Forecast the Facts also includes meteorologists who have suggested that extreme cold spells or snowstorms disprove climate science.”
How do you “disprove climate science?” Science is the process of discovering what is happening in the world, not the information that is gathered in that process. But, it fits the narrative that “climate science” only has one answer and that is CAGW, which ignores the reality that many answers are possible (and likely) in true climate science.
John Skookum says:
January 23, 2012 at 6:35 am
100:1 odds that George Soros is the moneybags behind this.
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/usprograms/focus/democracy/grants/social/grantees/cel
Forecast the Facts is wrong on virtually every fact asserted.No wonder the meteorologist diverge from the opinions of these simpletons.And the extreme leftwing political agenda of Citizen Engagement Laboratory does nothing for its scientific credentials. And did i mention that is a really creepy name?
Underneath the green facade are brown shirt enforcers to be sure.
America is constituted on certain principles, among them freedom of speech. Some of us, however, are eager to abandon those principles, and they attempt to censor and stifle the speech of others though intimidation, extortion, and other forms of thuggery.
Whatever the motives of the speech stiflers, whatever their tactics, they diminish all of us. They attack our foundational principles, for which many have sacrificed. I suggest that those who hate free speech should visit the nearest veteran’s cemetery, and reflect on the price paid for liberty.
CinbadtheSailor says:
January 23, 2012 at 12:30 am
“I see Joseph McCarthy continues his work to root out these evil people.”
Don’t bash Joe McCarthy, he was right. The leftists in the entertainment industry, which today includes the news business, have overwhelmed the system and this is what results. They have used the same format to get control of the educational institutions. We need another Joe McCarthy today.
In the meantime, the global temp is dropping as per this link
http://policlimate.com/climate/gfs_t2m_bias.html
How about get a clue on the past and present before you even try to make a forecast
Scary stuff.
“… They are what you might call the link from the upper echelons to the street rent a rabble and useful idiots. …” — Cassandra King
Glenn Beck, quoting Van Jones: “Top down … bottom up … inside out …”
“It’s well known that large numbers of meteorologists are climate change deniers…..”
This statement, supposedly about positions on a scientific question, neatly reveals how we are dealing with a quasi-religious political agenda. Of course this is old news here on WUWT, but likely as not there are new readers who haven’t fully grasped that, for the ideologues of the Left, it is a rampant heresy to “deny” that mankind is endangering the planet by burning fossil fuels. It is not for them an empirical question at all; it is a matter of deeply-held belief, and a cause for great anger at its contradiction.
But worse, “It’s well known that. . .” is a phrase of dangerous connotation. “He is a well-known ______” is the first step towards condemnation, ostracism, and if carried far enough, punishment. These are people who would not hesitate to mount campaigns that would force “deniers” from their jobs and careers. They are likely people who wouldn’t mind tying “deniers” to the stake and burning them, either, but at least for now they are prevented by contemporary norms. However, that is the mindset of the True Believer, and you ignore it at your peril. We like to think we are far more civilized and removed from the witch-hunts and Inquisitions of the Middle Ages. But we are not that far from Pol Pot.
/Mr Lynn
“…CEL is making a “list” of TV weathercasters and meteorologists who aren’t toeing the line as the paymasters of CEL want them to. They are labeled “deniers” and called out by name. I expect letters will go out to TV stations and maybe also to letters to the editor of local newspapers…”
Sounds brilliant to me. I can’t think of anything that would damage the AGW cause more (with the possible exception of the 10:10 snuff movie). Where do I sign up to support it?
“Forecast Fascism” should be the appropriate title.
America, you’ve got a serious problem.
Will there be a reward for turning in your local meteorologist? Perhaps extra bread or toilet paper coupons, redeemable at your local Soviet-run market?
Alex the skeptic says:
January 23, 2012 at 7:21 am
“I believe thattwhat the US needs is a political leader who would make a clean sweep of all this scientific tyranny and bring back some sense into the scientific mainstream. Then let the AGW die a natural death. It’s presently on life support.”
A “leader” cannot do this as long as the “green” people can use tax dollars to litigate against all progress ie new coal mining, new drilling, new refineries, new power plants, etc.. The rules need to be changed. These “watermellons”, as one of the above posters put it, simply go to the EPA or state DEQ and file suit with your tax dollars paying the tab for their attorney.
I think this is a good development. The more nonsense these extremeist do the less people believe in AGW. It’s the extremist’s in AGW who are helping the denier cause the most. BTW by now, I have become an outright denier. From what we can see there is NO significant warming whatsoever even including the hadcrut adjustments UHI etc. If you correct for UHI and “past” lowering temp adjustments as per GISS et al, you can bet that there has been NO warming at all. I also maintain the CT etc.., adjust the NH ice section borders constantly to avoid showing normal ice *totals. They can’t do that with SH ice because its one big single mass and it has in fact been increasing for some years now. Also current temps are now way below anomaly (see AMSU so don’t tell me that current storm activity in USA is due to global warming , more likely global cooling LOL
The David Browner Center in Berkeley, CA is engaging in bullying employees (meteorologists) of enterprises licensed to conduct business within the City limits?
Doesn’t that violate the City of Berkeley, Commision on Labor Anti-bullying Policy?
“Whereas, the City of Berkeley, as an employer and as a contractor of goods and services from approved Vendors and as the location for independent businesses within City limits, wishes to create positive, bullying-free work environments for City employees; and for employees and subcontractors of the City Vendors; and for employees of enterprises licensed to conduct business within the City limits;”
Yes, we all have a serious problem but I for one remain optimistic that we will win through. To qoute a very great person seeking to rally his people in the face of long odds “do your worst and we shall do our best” WC speaking for all of us who refuse to bend the knee to tyrants.
Chas C-Q says @ur momisugly January 23, 2012 at 6:24 am
I don’t know whether it is due to intimidation or lack of resources or something else, but I’ve noticed that almost all the local TV weather reports I’ve seen in my travels have stopped or at least pared down showing historical information.
Lack of resources comes closest. With THE resource being time. We have X time for a weathercast. Most things we could talk about or show don’t don’t fit into that time. So we turn to consultants, who do research, which tells us what people say they want in a wxcast, which then is prioritized from most to least. Everything after a certain point is jettisoned.
I seldom comment on global warming/change/disruption on-air, but occasionally do. It’s generally an ad-lib in response to something just said/shown. I’ve said things like CO2 is not a pollutant, it is necessary for life, and I’ve commented on the impriprioty of NBC giving Al Gore what seemed like 8 minutes on the Today Show to spout, but not provide even one second for rebuttel. And I’ve shown a simple graph showing no warming from 1998 through 2008 (or beyond). But, I believe my main purpose is to deliver a concise, well told, weather forecast for the next few days with a hint of the next 4 to 7. That’s why viewers watch.
Oh, oh… I may have just outed myself.
Jay Curtis says upon January 23, 2012 at 8:07am:
In the case of the Piltdown Man, the droning mantra is: The case itself may have been fraud, but the underlying science is basically sound.
As far as Eugenics goes, that one is very much alive and well. They call themselves environmentalists.
But you’re right, almost nobody believes in Phrenology, they’re too busy checking out their horoscopes.
Hardly ‘grass roots’ campaigns.
More like real live genuine Astroturf.
Of course Soros is involved. This is the co-founder’s bio :
“James Rucker is co-founder and executive director of ColorOfChange.org, an online activist organization of more than 800,000 members that aims to strengthen the voice of Black America. It was founded in 2005 by James and Van Jones … James also serves as co-director of Citizen Engagement Laboratory, which uses digital media and technology to amplify the voices of underrepresented groups, particularly people of color and youth. Previously, James served as Director of Grassroots Mobilization for MoveOn.org Political Action and Moveon.org Civic Action and was instrumental in developing and executing on fundraising, technology, and campaign strategies”
Van Jones is the self-described Marxist revolutionary who also founded “Green for All”(also funded by Soros).
He was later chosen by President Obama as the most qualified individual in America to become the Green Jobs Czar.
The greatest hoax ever in the history of science.
This just proves the old adage, “No matter how many coats of polish you put on a turd, it will still stink.”
I emailed the article to a couple of my local weather forecasters. One emailed me right back saying another viewer had already alerted him to it, but that he hadn’t seen the article until I sent it to him. He said he thought the campaign had “trouble written all over it.” And that he doesn’t feel any pressure from either side of the debate. Very encouraging.
Is it just me or does the name of the organization itself make me think they are a bunch of losers? Forecast the facts? How does one do that without already having facts that are then not subject to forecast?
Apart from that, just the mention of Soros and Color of Change, (Van Jones), should be enough to clue anyone with more than two nuerons to rub together that somthin’ ain’t kosher!
Too bad Maurice Strong couldn’t be linked. Then it would be a hat trick!