No More Climate Change “Deniers” or “Skeptics” at the Associated Press

The AP memo notes some argue the term “has the pejorative ring of Holocaust denier” and advised journalists to avoid using it. However, the agency also sought to address complaints from those who deny mankind is having a significant impact on the climate criticising the description of them as “climate change deniers“. “For populations in these parts of the world, limiting carbon dioxide emissions by restricting fossil fuel use may, in fact, prove unsafe – much more so than the threats that a changing climate may bring”.

The center did endorse the use of AP’s second, wordier suggestion, “those who reject mainstream climate science“.

Despite problems with the term “doubters”, CSI expressed that the longer classification of “those who reject mainstream climate science” was acceptably clarifying. It reminds people of Holocaust deniers and may be too loaded of a term for the AP’s tastes.

Sen. James Inhofe is frequently referred to as a “skeptic” of climate change. It also advises that reporters avoid adopting the widely used terms “sceptics” or “deniers“, in relation to those who are critical of the scientific consensus. That group prefers the phrase “climate change deniers” for those who reject accepted global warming data and theory. Climate change is more accurate scientifically to describe the various effects of greenhouse gases on the world because it includes extreme weather, storms and changes in rainfall patterns, ocean acidification and sea level. Marc Morano, who runs the contrarian site Climate Depot, told National Journal that he preferred the term “skeptic”, but that “doubter” still suggests there’s room for debate.

It took a while, but yesterday, the Associated Press – the largest news-gathering organization in the world – announced that it would make an addition to its famous Stylebook.

Ronald Lindsay, CEO of the Center for Inquiry, which has offices in Washington, D.C., and Amherst, New York, agrees that “doubter” isn’t a great substitute for “skeptic” or “denier”. “The general public, we fear, will still not get a clear picture of which public figures are basing their positions on reality, and which are not”. So, why is the AP so concerned with the feelings of the climate change deniers?

In a blog post, Associated Press Stylebook editors Sally Jacobsen, Dave Minthorn and Paula Froke wrote that scientists had complained that using the term “skeptics” was inaccurate. “‘Doubter” and the clunkier “those who reject mainstream climate science’ strike me as fair terms to describe both members of the public and the very small number of scientists who are not convinced”. To Wemple, that “seems like a dicey precedent”.