George Monbiot Unveils Winner of Annual Award For Most Distorted Climate Coverage

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
on

George Monbiot, the Guardianโ€™s straight-shooting environmental columnist, today unveiled the winner of the second annual (and final, if Monbiot can resist the urge to dole it out next year) Christopher Booker prize, given to the โ€œjournalistโ€ who most flagrantly ignores facts in favor of cramming the greatest number of thoroughly debunked climate denier claims into a single entry.ย ย 

This yearโ€™s winner, John Tomlinson, a columnist for the Flint Journal in Michigan, managed to cram an impressive 38 misleading statements into a piece only 805 words long, a rate of one misleading statement per 21 words.ย  All in direct response to Monbiotโ€™s earlier criticism of Tomlinsonโ€™s distorted columns.

Tomlinson managed to beat โ€œhis own provisional world record for density: the ratio of falsehoods to words,โ€ by cramming more climate denial into one piece than his previous effort earlier in the year which contained 18 errors in just 486 words, a rate of one error per 26 words.ย 

Monbiot writes:
โ€œNo one now had a hope of beating him. Or, to be more accurate, I wasnโ€™t prepared to go through all that again. Recording and rebutting 38 falsehoods was so time-consuming and soul-destroying that I didnโ€™t want to find another challenger. Iโ€™d had no idea what I was letting myself in for.

How did he manage it? By cobbling together just about every well-trodden climate change myth he could find on the web and compressing them into the smallest possible space; rather like those people who try to write a book on a postage stamp.โ€

And what does Mr. Tomlinson win along with this dubious distinction?ย 

The trophy pictured above – a truly magnificent piece of art made of recycled materials – and three bars of Kendal mint cake, a sugary British candy used on many expeditions around the world as a source of energy.ย 

Why the candy?ย  Well, in his typically irreverent style, Monbiot urges the winner of the Booker prize to โ€œembark on the holiday of a lifetimeโ€ via โ€œa one-way solo kayak trip to the north pole, to see for him or herself the full extent of the Arctic ice melt.โ€

โ€œWith the help of this amazing prize, a fabulous career of even greater obscurity awaits him,โ€ Monbiot predicts.

No word yet on whether Tomlinson will take up the holidayย offer.ย 

Brendan DeMelle DeSmog
Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and energy. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets.

Related Posts

Analysis
on

New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions.

New research reveals how Dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, and WPP cast themselves as climate champions.
on

The groups have filed an OECD complaint against the worldโ€™s largest advertising and PR firm, saying its work enables major polluters to continue harming environmental and human health.

The groups have filed an OECD complaint against the worldโ€™s largest advertising and PR firm, saying its work enables major polluters to continue harming environmental and human health.
on

Critics say support for TMX means struggling Canadians end up paying the price as global fossil fuel companies โ€œreap the rewards.โ€

Critics say support for TMX means struggling Canadians end up paying the price as global fossil fuel companies โ€œreap the rewards.โ€
on

His push for more gas development alarms climate change experts amid growing evidence of declining global LNG demand.

His push for more gas development alarms climate change experts amid growing evidence of declining global LNG demand.