Bethany Stotts
Accuracy in Media
5/5/2010
Pennsylvania State University professor and climatologist Michael Mann recently threatened to sue a group for its video satire of his climate science entitled “Hide the Decline.”
The video, created by Minnesotans for Global Warming (M4GW) refers to an email from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit director, Phil Jones to Prof. Michael Mann and two other scientists. “I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie [sic] from 1981 onwards) amd [sic] from 1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline,” writes Prof. Jones in the November 16, 1999 email.
Jones has temporarily stepped down from this position pending an investigation, although he was cleared in March in a British House of Commons inquiry (pdf).
Prof. Mann’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to one member of MG4W. It claims that “the use of Dr. Mann’s likeness” taken from the PSU webpage “is not authorized and infringes on various copyrights” and is being used by M4GW for “commercial exploitation.”
The video not only takes a picture off of the PSU website, but it appropriates significant footage from two Jib Jab videos, “Tree Slaughter” and “My Boss is a D–bag.”
“Finally, the referenced video clearly defames Professor Mann by leaving viewers with the incorrect impression that he falsified data to generate desired results in connection with his research activities,” states the letter, dated March 3. “This false impression irreparably harms Dr. Mann’s personal and professional reputation.”
Dr. Mann is currently under investigation by his own University to determine whether he deviated from “acceptable faculty conduct” and undermined the public trust in his science.
The article continues at AIM.org
