But much of that coverage perpetuated a decades-old practice, one that has been weaponized by the fossil fuel industry: false equivalence. But fossil fuel interests were shifting as the industry and its allies began to push back against empirical evidence of climate change, taking many conservatives along with them. By 2010, the American public’s belief in climate change hit an all-time low of 48 percent, despite the fact that those 20 years saw increased research, improved climate models and several climate change predictions coming true. I say “lies” because fossil fuel industry scientists debunked these theories themselves decades ago, so they are knowingly perpetuating falsehoods. Oreskes likens the push for “balance” on climate change to journalists arguing over the final score of a baseball game.

Source: Washington Post January 10, 2019 11:01 UTC