A Perfect Storm of Misinformation
How to improve your BS detector
Welcome to the web version of Need to Know: Science & Insight, a new form of personal journalism that looks at what we Need-to-Know at this time of pandemic, existential crisis of climate change and unravelling of nature’s life supports. Learn more.
Dear Friends: We’re in the middle of a storm of lies, distortions and misinformation. It’s going to get worse when it comes to vaccines, climate change, alternative energy, and other solutions to bring about a transition to a sustainable, zero-carbon future.
I’ve been navigating through this mire for 25 years, including the recent Texas blackout. A subscriber prompted me to share with you some Need-to-Know tools I use to keep my BS detector robust and well tuned. Please share any of your tips in the comments.
Recently a subscriber asked me about an “intriguing and somewhat disturbing” video from Prager University about renewable energy.
That set my BS detector tingling.
Anything from PragerU is disturbing since it’s a right-wing YouTube propaganda channel pretending to provide online education. And of course it’s not an accredited university.
Prager has pumped out over 650 short videos since 2011 — often featuring professional liars from Fox News such as Glenn Beck and Tucker Carlson.
The Prager videos are slick, with a white male in a suit very confidently explaining something in a I-know-more-than-you tone. In this case how 100% renewable energy is impossible, as well as being an expensive, environmental disaster.
In the video Prager expert Mark Mills conveniently forgets to mention climate change or the enormous environmental impact of coal, gas and oil.
Turns out Mills is a big investor in the oil & gas industries and is with the free-market think tank the Manhattan Institute (MI). They are well-funded by the fossil fuel companies like Exxon and Koch Industries and known for its efforts to gut environmental regulations, cut welfare spending (except corporate), and lobby for tax breaks.
Mills’ has no particular expertise in energy or science, other than an undergraduate degree. That hasn’t stopped him from posing as an energy expert to attack renewables in videos and opinion articles (op eds).
First find out who is behind the curtain
I researched this before even looking at the content of Mills’ video. The Need-to-Know for me is to first find out who is behind the curtain because good propaganda is convincing and contains some accurate, factual information. It takes expertise or a lot of investigation to untangle the distortions, half-truths and cherry-picked data.
Second find out if they have an agenda
So before reading or listening to someone I want to know if they have any expertise, if they have a political agenda or a vested interest in the topic. Then I can decide if I want to listen to what they have to say.
I used two primary tools from my BS detector kit in this case:
Sourcewatch identifies who is behind and who funds various think tanks, institutes and other organizations. They document their research and I’ve found them to be reliable.
DeSmogBlog maintains an extensive database of both individuals and organizations who try to confuse the public and stall action on climate change. International in scope. There are far more than you think — I use the search function a lot.
Texas blackout’s perfect storm of misinformation
Last week there was a blizzard of lies claiming that the massive power blackout in Texas was caused by frozen wind turbines. A Need-to-Know is there are wind turbines in Antarctica generating electricity for US and New Zealand research bases. And it also gets pretty cold in Alberta where wind turbines have been spinning away since 1993.
During that record-cold in Texas some turbines didn’t work because someone failed to ensure they were winterized. Practically every major news outlet in the US, as well as independent fact-checkers, have debunked the big lie that millions of Texans were without heat and power because renewables are no good.
Unsurprisingly Fox News blamed wind turbines for the blackout 128 times over two days according to MediaMatters.
Oily quid pro quo
Ted Cruz and other Republican politicians from Texas who blamed wind turbines also happen to get buckets of cash from the oil and gas industry. In fact Cruz and two others pocketed $1.1 million in the 2020 election cycle according to an investigation. And Cruz wasn’t even up for re-election.
If you read that article I linked to you’ll also see Texas Governor Greg Abbott received $1.6 million last year from one oil company CEO, and nearly as much again from some other Texas oil tycoons.
Even in Canada know-nothing pundits like Rex Murphy used the Texas blackout as an excuse to deny climate change for the zillionth time and to claim renewables are a waste time. Murphy has received buckets of cash from the fossil fuel industry, a fact that is almost never disclosed in the newspapers, websites, TV programs where he appears.
No expertise, a political agenda and vested financial interest — So why read it?
Murphy has no expertise in energy or science but he does have a clear vested interest and a political agenda as a climate denier. His expertise is as a clever, engaging and supremely confident propagandist. In other words, a snake-oil salesmen loudly claiming environmentalists with their vested interests in clean air and a stable climate are the real snake-oil merchants.
The Texas blackout became the ‘perfect storm’ to attack clean, low-cost renewable energy to prevent it from kicking fossil fuels to the curb. And the attack has been loud and sustained with the new Biden administration’s intent on serious actions to reduce US carbon emissions.
The shock doctrine at work
The attack was also intended to distract from the real causes —climate change-fueled extreme weather and failure to maintain Texas’ electricity infrastructure — which is primarily gas.
Author and activist Naomi Klein has documented how this kind of disaster is often used to push "unpopular free-market policies that tend to enrich elites at everyone else’s expense”. Klein explains how this “shock doctrine” works in a new op ed.
The Texas disaster is already paying off. “Obviously, this week is like hitting the jackpot,” boasted the CEO of Comstock Resources, a shale gas drilling company as gas prices skyrocketed and households faced electricity bills over $16,000 according to the Intercept and New York Times.
We all Need-to-Know that the lies, distortions and misinformation about climate change, wind and solar energy, as well as electric vehicles are going to escalate as the US and the rest of the world make the transition to low-carbon living. There will be loud and sustained efforts to sow doubt and confusion to slow and delay this absolutely essential transition to protect our future.
However we’ve already had two decades of delay. There’s no time for debate. We need to rush, to make a rapid transition knowing there will be mistakes along the way.
Tools to reinforce your own BS detector
No tool is perfect. I use multiple ones to look behind the curtain and debunk false claims.
The big picture tool
Merchants of Doubt: A documentary film and a book on the tobacco industry roots and how the whole climate denial industry operates. I reviewed the film for The Guardian a few years back.
The how-to handbook tool
The Debunking Handbook 2020 from George Mason University. It’s a 12 page guide on how-to debunk misinformation by 22 academics — yep misinformation and propaganda is so persuasive today it’s become an academic discipline
Sharpen your BS detection instincts tool
The Cranky Uncle game uses cartoons and critical thinking to fight misinformation. It’s a free app and fun to use while challenging. Great even for kids.
The best fact checker tools
FactCheck.org — US focused but excellent for coronavirus and Facebook misinformation
Politifact – rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. Won the Pulitzer Prize.
AFP Fact Check – fact check fake photos and videos as well. This is the best for non-USA fact checks.
Snopes — one of the first — covers a huge range of topics from Nigerian email scams to latest facebook lies
Media watchdog tools
Climate Feedback is a worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction in climate change media coverage. Helps readers know which news to trust. [Coverage is thin - can’t keep up with deluge]
MediaMatters. This is a liberal site with ties to US Democrats for monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. Media. I use them occasionally and it helps to be aware of their bias.
Media Bias / Fact Check — A database that assess bias and accuracy of over 3600 media sources.
A final thought: Memes are not the best way to get your news. Memes have been hi-jacked too. For example iFunny memes, a meme-sharing app from Russia, is chock-full of misleading claims.
Until next time, stay safe
Stephen
I agree with the sentiment and acknowledge that there ae vested interests in maligning green energy but where are your scientific based counters against what appear to be valid arguments against the idea that we can move from fossils to renewables. When you really face up to it the fact is that without viable nuclear power then this is simply a non starter and is only feeding the pockets of a new class of greedy industrialists and politicians
Actually, the site itself doesn't create memes. It's a social media site or app where users post memes just like IG or Facebook. (it mentions it in the linked article you included)