-By Warner Todd Huston
Koch Industries recently published a response to the work of UK Independent journalist Steve Connor whose work, Koch says, “misled readers.” The two articles accused Koch Industries of secretly funding attacks on climate change.
The articles written by Connor “got many facts about Koch wrong,” according to the open letter published on the company’s website.
Koch was also unhappy that the British newspaper edited down its letter to the paper without their knowledge “censoring key information and important context.”
The accusatory pieces were titled “Exclusive: Billionaires secretly fund attacks on climate science” and “Top climate scientist denounces billionaires over funding for climate-sceptic organisations,” published on January 24 and 25 respectively.
Koch’s open letter pointedly said that the articles were “predictable in repeating tired and debunked partisan accusations” about their company and said journalist Connor essentially started with a premise and went on to “prove” his claims “offering readers just one side of the story.”
The articles, Koch said, were intended only to demonize them and used “loaded words” to attack them.
The reporter asserts that much of the Kochs’ funding given to a wide variety of organizations is tied to “promote skepticism towards climate change.” He states this with no evidence, only innuendo to support his theory. Quite to the contrary, Charles and David Koch believe it is important to understand the primary and secondary effects that proposed costly initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases will have on the earth’s overall climate and public health, relative to the cost of implementation.
The letter goes on to deny that the Koch brothers are “secretive” and noted that the pair has openly advocated for free market principles for 50 years. Over the years, the brothers have also submitted to many in depth articles on their activities and ideals. “Not exactly secretive,” the letter says.
“Moreover,” the letter says, “the Kochs are advocates of the critical review that is the foundation of sound science, as everyone interested in furthering discovery should be. Climate science is a complex and ever-changing issue.”
“Mr. Connor’s story,” the letter summation reads, “led him up the wrong path.”
The entire letter can be seen at www.kochfacts.com.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, RightPundits.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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