Yes our prescriptions that these subcontractors of doubt do get an awful lot of fawning media attention have now been confirmed by a new study.
New study finds fringe global warming contrarians get disproportionate media attention
30% of fringe climate scientists who say carbon pollution causes little global warming report frequent media coverage, vs. just 15% of mainstream climate scientists
A new study led by Bart Verheggen surveyed 1,868 scientists studying various aspects of climate change, asking them several questions mainly focused on what’s causing global warming. They survey also asked the respondents,
How frequently have you featured in the media regarding your views on climate change?
The answers to this question reflect whether the media is really fair and balanced on the subject of global warming. A truly balanced media would give equally proportional attention and coverage to climate scientists in the mainstream and on the fringes. For example, if 20% of contrarian climate scientists reported frequent media attention, a fair and balanced media would also give frequent coverage to 20% of mainstream climate scientists.
Instead, fringe contrarian climate scientists reported that they receive frequent media coverage twice as often as mainstream climate scientists.
This new paper also asked,
What is your estimate of equilibrium (Charney) climate sensitivity, i.e. the temperature response (degrees C) to a doubling of CO2?
The latest IPCC report put the climate sensitivity at between 1.5 and 4.5°C global surface warming in response to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Most of the responses fell within that range, with about half putting the figure in the middle, between 2.5 and 3.5°C. About 25% put it on the low end of the IPCC range, between 1.5 and 2.5°C. The rest were equally divided between the value being larger than 3.5°C and smaller than 1.5°C.
Again, those who answered that climate sensitivity is below the accepted range reported the most frequent media exposure.
These purveyors of News still cling to their illusion of false equivalence and think spreading nonsense gives "balance".