[Also see: WaPo's Andrew Freedman Ducks TV Debate with Climate Depot's Morano - Wash. Post Fires Back: Accuses Climate Depot of having 'an anti-science and anti-science journalism agenda!' -- Climate Depot Responds]
The great non-debate has occurred. The Washington Post's Andrew Freedman refused to debate Climate Depot's executive editor Marc Morano at the invitation of Clean Skies TV. Freedman, of the paper's Capital Weather Gang, accused Climate Depot of being “anti-science” and having an “anti-science journalism agenda” on September 2, 2009 in the Washington Post. Freedman has since refused to face off with Morano in a TV debate. Instead, Freedman demanded to do a solo segment with the reporter instead of defending his global warming assertions in front of Climate Depot in a televised debate.
Clean skies TV granted Freedman a full 25 minute interview. By contrast, Climate Depot was given a miserly 14 minutes plus, which was peppered with lots of hostile questions from the Clean Skies TV reporter (former CBS News journalist) Susan McGinnis asking just “who” exactly funds Climate Depot. Both interviews aired on September 14, 2009 on Clean Skies TV.
Watch Freedman's full unedited 25 minute Clean Skies TV interview here.
Watch Morano's full unedited less than 15 minute Clean Skies TV interview here.
In his interview with Clean Skies TV reporter McGinnis, Freedman could not seem to decide on the exact reason why he ducked the TV debate with Morano. Freedman offered more than half a dozen excuses in one sound bite as to why he refused to debate.
Freedman's Top & Excuses on why he ducked debate:
Freedman excuse #1: 'I didn't think there was much good to come out of an in person debate between us'
Freedman excuse #2: 'Last week in my life was an incredibly busy week'
Freedman excuse #3: 'I started my last semester of graduate school'
Freedman excuse #4: 'So I was not able to schedule [a debate] at that point'
Freedman excuse #5: 'I felt like we had gone back and forth on the web enough'
Freedman excuse #6: I thought it would devolve into a discussion about carbon taxes and cap-and-trade'
Freedman excuse #7: 'I am not a policy reporter, so I didn't think it was appropriate to engage in that [debate]'
Freedman went on to claim that Climate Depot has a political agenda, but the Washington Post does not. “I disagree that the Washington Post is politically motivated,” Freedman asserted in the Clean Skies TV interview.
Freedman also claimed he has “not seen much evidence for this crumbling [global warming scientific] consensus.” [Editor's Note: Climate Depot's two rebuttals to Freedman are available here and here.]
“If [the crumbling of the scientific consensus] happens and when it happens, I will be one of first ones to report it. That's a major story,” Freedman said. Freedman did acknowledge that he thinks “the skeptics do have some scientific case.”
Freedman once again credited Climate Depot with helping to shape public opinion on the science and policy of man-made global warming. “His (Climate Depot' s Morano) efforts...are maybe partly responsible for the public opinion shift,” Freedman explained.
Morano's Combative Interview With Former CBS News Reporter
Morano's interview with Clean Skies TV's McGinnis was at times combative. McGinnis, a former CBS Morning News host, did a thorough job grilling Morano on many key aspects of the climate debate.
'Why aren't you on this set today?'
Morano questioned why Freedman was so afraid to debate. “Freedman refused to come on this show, he has to do a separate segment,” Morano said.
“Why aren't you on this set today?” Morano asked of Freedman, accusing him of “running scared.” Freedman “folded up tent and went home” according to Morano, also noting that Freedman “has his hands full” at the Washington Post after one of his fellow Capital Weather Gang colleagues – Washington Post Meteorologist Matt Rogers – declared his scientific dissent on global warming.
Morano told Clean Skies TV that the UN IPCC's so-called “consensus” on global warming was nothing more than “a manufactured consensus.”
“It's the best science politics can manufacture,” Morano said.
Morano also ripped the news media for its woeful climate reporting, calling CBS “60 Minutes” reporter Scott Pelley, the “biggest journalistic embarrassment of our day.” [Editor's Note: Pelley's silly and one-sided climate reporting has been a source of entertainment for years. Pelley has also publicly compared scientists skeptical of global warming fears to Holocaust deniers. "If I do an interview with Elie Wiesel," he asks, "am I required as a journalist to find a Holocaust denier?" Pelley said in a March 23, 2006 interview with CBS News.]
Clean Skies TV's McGinnis demanded that Morano name the names of his parent company's (Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow or CFACT) -- donors on the air. Morano declined to name names, instead challenging Clean Skies TV reporter McGinnis to use her skills as a journalist and find out the publicly available information.
“Look it up,” Morano told McGinnis about her funding questions. “You know how to use a computer,” Morano added. [Editor's Note: Wonder if McGinnis is as aggressive about who funds organizations when she interviews environmental groups.]
Morano then turned the tables on McGinnis asking, “Can you name your donors?” “What is their agenda, do they have a political agenda?” Morano asked.
To watch full Clean Skies TV interview with Morano see here.
Related Links:
WaPo's Andrew Freedman Ducks TV Debate with Climate Depot's Morano
Flashback 2006: Morano Debates IPCC's Chairman Pachauri at UN Conference in Kenya
World-Wide Reaction to Climate Depot's Public Climate Clash with the Washington Post
Shock: Wash. Post Blames Obama For Failure of Global Warming Movement! President's 'mistakes may cost the planet dearly'
Wash. Post Fires Back: Accuses Climate Depot of having 'an anti-science and anti-science journalism agenda!' -- Climate Depot Responds
A Global Warming Debate Coming Soon! Climate Depot to debate science journalist David Appell
Update: WaPo's Freedman laments lack of civility in climate debate: 'A reader called me a Bolshevik'
Video of 2006 climate debate with Revkin, Morano & Blakemore
Flashback 2006: Morano debates ABC's Bill Blakemore and NYT's Revkin on global warming
Debate Scheduled Between Prof. Pielke Jr. and Climate Depot's Morano at AEI in DC -- NYT's Andrew Revkin to Moderate
'Wash. Post's Andrew Freedman has chickened out on an actual debate with Morano' - 'Climate Depot continues to beat WaPo's Freedman like a rented mule'
Flashback 2006: Morano Debates IPCC's Chairman Pachauri at UN Conference in Kenya - 'Global warming skeptics are 'demonized'
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