DeSmogBlog
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Type of site
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Blog |
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| Created by | James Hoggan, Ross Gelbspan, Richard Littlemore, Kevin Grandia |
| Slogan(s) | Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science |
| Website | http://www.desmogblog.com |
| Launched | January 2006 |
The DeSmogBlog, founded in January 2006, is a blog that focuses on topics related to global warming. DeSmogBlog opposes what it describes as "a well-funded and highly organized public relations campaign" that it says is "poisoning" the climate change debate. The site was co-founded by James Hoggan, president of a public relations firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The blog was co-founded in January 2006 by James Hoggan, president of the public relations firm Hoggan and Associates. In a February 2007 interview with the Vancouver Sun, Hoggan conveys his anger at industry interests who he believes mislead the public about the scientific understanding of global warming. He referred to this alleged misrepresentation of the facts as, "public relations at its sleaziest". Hoggan used his public relations skills to start a blog that would "clear the PR pollution that clouds the science of climate change" and expose organizations and individuals which he considered to be unethical. DeSmogBlog says it reports on the credibility of experts who appear to misrepresent the science of global warming in the media by investigating their scientific background, funding sources, and industry interests. The site originally targeted a Canadian audience but is now involved in global climate change coverage.
Contributors to the site assist in researching organizations that the site's staff believe are phony, grassroots organizations, or astroturf groups sponsored directly or indirectly by industries seeking to thwart climate change-related legislation. Organizations alleged by the blog to be astroturfs include Friends of Science, Natural Resources Stewardship Project, Global Climate Coalition, and International Climate Science Coalition. Individuals that the site has identified as pushing an anti-climate change point of view are listed in the site's "Denial Database", with accompanying information about their industry affiliations and professional biographies. In a Financial Post column, Canadian environmentalist Lawrence Solomon stated that the organization was, in Solomon's words, "specifically created for the purpose of discrediting skeptics."
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