BBC pushed to apologise in Lawson climate row
THE persistence of a video editor from Cardiff resulted in the BBC apologising for failing to challenge former Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson when he made factually inaccurate comments about climate change on the Radio 4 Today programme.
John Parker’s complaint focused on two statements made by Lord Lawson, 85, who served as Chancellor in Margaret Thatcher’s government from 1983 until 1989: that the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change “has confirmed that there has been no increase in extreme weather events” and “according to the official figures, during this past 10 years, if anything, mean global temperature, average world temperature, has slightly declined”.
The BBC’s executive complaints unit accepted that these statements “were, at the least, contestable and should have been challenged”.
In fact, the Global Warming Policy Forum itself, the campaign group chaired by Lawson, acknowledged on August 13 that the temperature data he was referring to was “erroneous” and not official.
Senior scientists also declared that Lawson’s statement about extreme weather was wrong.
Initially, however, the BBC had sought to justify Lord Lawson’s statements on the basis that he was providing “balance” to an earlier interview given by former US Vice-President Al Gore, a leading campaigner for action to be taken to combat climate change.
But Mr Parker escalated his concerns to the executive complaints unit, stating: “I’ve twice written to the complaints unit concerning Lawson’s appearance on Today, and though I hugely appreciate that they take the time to reply, I don’t feel they have addressed my concerns.
“First, to be clear – they assume I think Lawson should not be interviewed at all. I don’t. I’m saying the programme failed to adequately challenge his views.
“They justify airing his views partly on the grounds that these are backed by Trump. Let’s unpick this. Today must be aware that the Trump administration’s views on climate do not have the backing of the scientific consensus. Whereas they do have the backing of powerful fossil fuel interests.
“They must also be aware that on the sober assessment of science, climate change is a topic of existential importance. So if they are going to interview a non-scientist with a track record in deliberately misrepresenting the science, they should be prepared, in the public interest, to challenge their views. They were not.
“Given that listeners drop in and out of the programme as their day unfolds, and that you cannot guarantee the same listeners the next day, it is inadequate to point out that they examined the issue the next day. Or had aired opposing views earlier.
“So as it was, the scrutiny applied to Lawson’s assertion that global temperatures had dropped over the last 10 years was – ‘Yeah, well, which is an argument on both sides...’ – which far from challenging Lawson’s misinformation, endorses the central denialist myth, namely that the science is divided.
“In sum – they let him get away with false statements on air.”
Mr Palmer went on to say that the Today programme’s editor, Sarah Sands, had declined to be interviewed for the Feedback programme, which he saw as a tacit admission that there had been a lapse.
He concluded: “You should uphold this complaint against the Today programme, and insist that, should they have Lawson or his ilk on in future, they should be prepared to meet misinformation with a knowledge of the science.
“Which given that like many denialists he is essentially ignorant and recycles a limited number of predictable tropes, should not be hard.”
Labour AM Eluned Morgan, who has known Mr Parker for many years, said: “I am very proud of the fact that it was the perseverance of John Parker which has led to this apology from the BBC.
“Climate-change deniers must be held to account and be confronted with scientific evidence. It was wrong of the BBC not to challenge Lord Lawson. I hope it will not happen again.”