Today we bring you a lesson in calling out those that share fake, or misleading news from a rather unlikely source, Weather.com.
The website many of us use to check whether our weekend in the sun will be ruined by rain has called out Breitbart – a far right-wing news website – for cherry-picking information and then publishing it as fact.
To give you an overview, last week on 30th November, Breitbart published an article in which it stated that, “Global land temperatures have plummeted by one degree Celsius since the middle of this year – the biggest and steepest fall on record.”
Climate change deniers are a dime-a-dozen but Breitbart slipped up when they used the face of Weather.com meteorologist, Kait Parker to give gravitas to their story. Parker was not pleased and has since filmed and published a response to Breitbart’s claims, which you can see below.
For those that can’t watch the video here’s a brief summation. Parker presents a number of counter arguments to Breitbart’s claims and shows how the publication cherry-picked information to substantiate them.
“Here’s the thing science doesn’t care about your opinion,” says Parker. “Cherry-picking and twisting the facts will not change the future and the fact – note fact not opinion – that the Earth is warming,” the meteorologist said.
The video is a brilliant example of how to call out fake or misleading news, by using solid data and peer-reviewed studies. You’ll notice in the video that Parker isn’t angry nor does she resort to name-calling or personal attacks. Her main weapon is the data and she wields it beautifully.
Of course you could argue that not everybody has the time to check facts but if you’re prepared to share misinformation then you best be prepared to deal with the fallout that comes with it.
For those that want to call out your friends on social media for sharing stories such as Breitbart’s which cherry pick information we urge you to take a leaf from Parker’s book. Don’t get mad, state the facts and cite your sources.
[Image – CC BY SA 2.0 Takver]
