"Fisking" Climate Change Arguments: The Deniers Get Creative

authordefault
onFeb 28, 2006 @ 08:23 PST

Amy Ridenourโ€™s newly redesigned National Centre for Public Policy Research blog (very stylish Amy; I like the gravitas suggested by yellowed book pages), features a great non sequiturial attack on the Independentย  for adding to its already exhaustive coverage of the climate changeย issue.

The best part of Amyโ€™s outburst is her use of the newly coined word fisk,ย about whichย Wikipedia saysย this:

โ€œThe term Fisking, or to Fisk, is a rightwing blogosphere term describing criticism that highlights perceived errors or other problems in a statement, article, or essay. It should be noted that these โ€œerrorsโ€ do not necessarily refer to factual inaccuracies, but more often to perceived inaccuracies in the analysis of presentedย facts.

โ€œIndeed, โ€œFiskingโ€ may appear, to those who do not share the viewpoint of the fisker, to be merely taking small parts of an article out of context and putting the worst possible interpretation on them, without regard to the connections between individualย points.โ€

If thatโ€™s not enough, both Ridenourโ€™s post and the whole Wikipedia article are worth a look. Wiki, especially,ย explores the etymology of fisk,ย paying appropriate homage to the journalist Robert Fisk, whose award-winning reporting originally earned the wrath the Ridenourโ€™s fellowย travellers.

authordefault
Admin's short bio, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit. Voluptate maxime officiis sed aliquam! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit.

Related Posts

onNov 14, 2025 @ 07:04 PST

Their access to the summit is proof that Big Oil still holds "a dangerous sway" over the climate process, campaigners say.

Their access to the summit is proof that Big Oil still holds "a dangerous sway" over the climate process, campaigners say.
onNov 13, 2025 @ 21:01 PST

Delegationโ€™s composition consistent with new KBPO report revealingย this yearโ€™s U.N. climate talks have the largest number of fossil fuel lobbyists to date.

Delegationโ€™s composition consistent with new KBPO report revealingย this yearโ€™s U.N. climate talks have the largest number of fossil fuel lobbyists to date.
onNov 13, 2025 @ 06:22 PST

Labour government accused of being โ€œcomplicit in the fossil fuel industryโ€™s conquest of the COP processโ€.

Labour government accused of being โ€œcomplicit in the fossil fuel industryโ€™s conquest of the COP processโ€.
Analysis
onNov 12, 2025 @ 12:15 PST

Our changing climate will produce winners and losers. Canada should look to the Global South for a winning strategy.

Our changing climate will produce winners and losers. Canada should look to the Global South for a winning strategy.