Here’s something out of left field (literally) and almost too good to be true, but it really is. Get this: 17 news organizations, including NPR, WaPo, AP, now have grown a spine and filed an amicus brief (see download below) to OPPOSE in court Michael Mann’s effort to keep his UVa CLIMATEGATE-related e-mails secret.
Basically, Mann’s attempt at hiding his emails of work done on public funds and time from public view has backfired, and now is a story that has “legs” in reporter parlance. From Columbia Journalism Review:
Strange bedfellows: ‘Climate change deniers, newspapers partner in a FOIA fight’
Public information laws have forged an unlikely team in Penn State climate scientist Michael Mann’s quest to keep his emails private
‘Organized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 17 news organizations, including National Public Radio, Dow Jones, and The Washington Post, submitted an amicus brief in November, supporting the group’s rights to Mann’s emails.
A verdict is expected soon in one of Mann’s cases, a trial winding through the Virginia courts that, oddly, pits him against the interests of the press. Mann is challenging the American Traditions Institute in court—it has since changed its name to the less charged “Energy & Environment Legal Institute”—after the group attempted to obtain access to his email through a FOIA request. Mann argues that his emails constitute “proprietary information,” a special exemption granted to research institutions under Virginia state law. But after an appellate court issued a strong finding, broadly defining “proprietary information” in a way that would make almost any university document—and potentially government documents—exempt from public release, the press took notice.
“By defining an exemption to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (‘VFOIA’) as broadly as the lower court has done, this Court Would be, in effect, removing almost all public documents from the ambit of the records law,” reads the brief. By exempting Mann’s emails from public release, the group argues, the court is setting what journalists see as a dangerous precedent—making it much more difficult to gain access to public records.’
See more at: http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/michael_mann_versus_the_press.php?page=1
Here is the page that defines the interest, note the list of heavy hitters.
Basically what has happened is that journalists are afraid that if Mann wins, it will set a legal precedent that will be used to restrict the ability of the press in future issues where work products and emails discussing research are needed for journalist investigations, but will be made off limits. So, they are going to throw Mann under the bus to keep their FOIA ability intact.
IMHO, the Mann’s days are numbered as a hero of the climate movement.
Read the amicus brief for yourself: ATI-v-UVA-RCFP-amicus (PDF)
ADDED: And it’s a strange place now for some news outlets to find themselves in, particularly the Washington Post. This (absurdly detached) blast from the past below reminds us how these outlets may act out with their editorial positions, but these aren’t always harmonious with their lesser-advertised legal postures. (h/t to Chris Horner of ATI who’s been fighting this fight for a very long time.)
@richard the press can’t let this one slide either way. Even if the emails are harmless – which is doubtful since they date back to the pre-climategate period – they have to fight back against this ruling. You’re right that if the e-mails are clean it will be carefully crafted campaign but given The Mann’s foul character clean e-mails are not in the cards. The Mann’s has always been his own worst enemy.
Oh the irony. The MSM, which has been Mann’s cheerleader for over a decade, has finally grown a pair.
Can or would Mann have deleted emails, seem to remember in the climategate emails that there was advise to delete emails.
I wonder how many roaches are going to scurry when the lights come on?
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This means the MSM core leadership knew, at least since Climategate and probably much earlier than that, that Mann’s actions were detrimental to our free culture and open science.
They knew and did not speak out.
Why?
Why not say what they obviously knew.
Why?
John
So let’s see, the press demands the emails, the emails are released, the emails say nothing we do not already know- climategate, and then press headlines , Michael Mann emails confirm his hard work , blah, blah, blah,… etc.
I get really excited when i read this kind of stuff but nothing changes , just the slow grinding on of this bulldozer of a scam,.
Maybe it is another nail in the coffin.
Sorry, Anthony, you got one thing wrong. They have grown no spine. With Cuccinelli gone, there is no fear of Mann being indicted on any crimes. The new VA AG has even stated he will not prosecute law breakers as long as they believe the right way. And of course the new Governor, McAwful, is a worthless piece of clinton hangover that is going to drag the state into oblivion (sorry, got on a horse there).
The point is that there is no one to prosecute Mann or even care if he swindled the government now. The AG has already stated and demonstrated he will not uphold the laws of the Commonwealth.
pottereaton says:
March 17, 2014 at 9:14 pm
Eric Worrall says:
March 17, 2014 at 8:39 pm
I wonder if Mann is trying to hide derogatory remarks he made about his supporters?
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I would guess that that is the least of it. His friends will forgive him. The law, the public, and his enemies will not if he’s 1. broken the law; 2. deceived the public: and 3. attempted to damage his enemies in substantive ways.
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1. Fat chance!
2. Peter Gleick.
Nuf said.
cn
Montgomery won the Second Battle of El Alamein which was from 23 October – 11 November 1942 and on 10 November 1942 at the Lord Mayor’s Luncheon at the Mansion House, London, Churchill said of it
Kudos on Kursk. Biggest tank battle in history and hardly anyone knows about it.
But I have to say that 1st Alamein was a huge Allied victory (one that doomed the AK and made Alamein 2 a foregone conclusion). Kudos to the Awk(worth ten of Monty).
@Evan Jones – Actually, anyone who prefers the documentary channels over the commercial broadcast ones, probably knows about Kursk. The Military channel has run several shows about it. I found them fascinating.
I just finished a new book on the subject: Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk by Showalter. Very detailed and pretty balanced. Main problem I had was while there were many maps the text referenced many locations that were not on the maps. It sure seemed like the Russians had an endless supply of tanks and men.
richardscourtney says:
March 18, 2014 at 12:45 am
“This thread is discussing the ‘Kursk’ of the AGW-scare: the ‘bunker’ of the CRU at UEA awaits the leaders of the scare.”
Got a problem with WW2 analogies.
a) CO2AGW movement is not running out of resources. If anything they’re like the Soviets with limitless supply of tanks / new CGM scenarios for new scary headlines.
b) CO2AGW movement is part of the same regime the MSM are part of.
This is not a fight, it’s completely scripted.
As if on cue, Scientific American has a new article by Mikey (in Henny-Penny fashion, only 22 y from now).
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-will-cross-the-climate-danger-threshold-by-2036/
Paywalled, unfortunately. Words are not likely worth the virtual paper they’re written on, though.
LEt’s see: 2036 — should buy him enough time to retire and count his earnings (he hopes), before it all unravels. Does ANYONE with a built-in BS meter take this stuff seriously anymore?
Kurt in Switzerland
Kursk, the more i read about Bletchley Park the more amazed i am, they had the low down Kursk was brewing and passed on the info to Stalin though the Russians probably guessed as well. but also Bletchley located Sharnhorst and Bismark with intercepted communications before they were sunk.
… and the judge probably thought he was doing people like Mann a favour…
CJR is widely read, and probably the leading biz-focused website/webzine for U.S. journalists.
Red Alert to Scott Mandia of the so-called ‘Climate Science Legal Defense Fund’
Your very demanding fund recipient Michael E. Mann may need a lot more funds if he now engages the 17 MSM organizations that filed the amicus brief for getting Mann’s UVa emails.
You may need to tap fossilized resources now?
John
At the risk of sounding too cynical, I have a feeling that if/when these MSM groups win access to the emails, they will simply ignore/hide/bury any inconvenient details that challenge their CAGW bias.
The left sees the writing on the wall, that the GOP will keep the House and take the Senate this November, and that they need to establish credentials/history for pursuing “transparency,” for applying against new bosses.
Does anyone else here believe as I do that the reason for all these comic book journals and their comic book scientists is because of the paywall? If all public funded research (even if they take just one penny out of my pocket) was open access, we wouldn’t be so demanding that they show their work. And the bloom would be off the rose, possibly improving the lot of them overnight.
Journal articles: The New Enquirer
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Perhaps the 17 MSM organization’s amicus brief has somewhat reduced the possibility of any cherished dreams of Michael E. Mann (PSU) to either take Hansen’s old job at NASA’s GISS or to replace Pachauri as head of the IPCC.
PSU has inherited ill winds and now seems stuck in ill media memes. Are they more concerned about Mann maybe becoming untradable / unmarketable as a scientist by this MSM amicus brief in the UVa case?
Is a complete profession change imminent?
John
John Whitman says:
March 18, 2014 at 6:56 am
“Perhaps the 17 MSM organization’s amicus brief has somewhat reduced the possibility of any cherished dreams of Michael E. Mann (PSU) to either take Hansen’s old job at NASA’s GISS”
Why should Mann be a candidate for that? Gavin Schmidt continues the cooking of the temperature books splendidly. He’s been the regime’s lackay for so long now; and he’s got a climatologist beard.
“By defining an exemption to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (‘VFOIA’) as broadly as the lower court has done, this Court Would be, in effect, removing almost all public documents from the ambit of the records law,…”
Good thing this President’s administration is the “most transparent” ever, or this would really be a problem.
/sarc
He won’t reveal any of his models, data sets, app code – he will say it is all lost or in the ‘domain’ of someone else…just watch. Not a chance in hades he will let anyone who is competent with code, logic or data models have a look at his junk.
Organic Fertilizer