A Climate Disguise

Climate Cover-Up attempts to investigate the truth about climate change by challenging facts and testing theories that are widely accepted and endorsed by major companies and institutions. These institutions are perceivably reliable but use misinformation to confuse the public for their own self interest. Propaganda and biased framing can potentially lead to widely held beliefs that lack merit and credibility. This book explains how manipulation and deception has played a major role in getting Americans to fear the potential consequences of global warming. James Hoggan does an excellent job of using his expertise as an accomplished public relations executive to convey how powerful media can influence thoughts and behaviors. This book was the result of Hoggan’s DeSmogBlog, which started as an online forum to educate the public about issues surrounding climate change.
Sometimes it’s not what you say or do that determines the outcome of a situation but it’s more importantly how you say what you say and how you do what you do that really determines if the message or action will be accepted by the masses. Hoggan describes how these messages perpetuated by mainstream media and politically identified institutions create a false perception for the public who puts their trust in the hands of these places that are deemed credible by sight.
Not only is confusion distributed and made known by top institutions and organizations, but the book indicates that even scientists have exploited the issue of climate change for their own personal and financial gain. Hoggan emphasizes how some scientists are paid privately by some companies to report false facts surrounding climate change so that the public will be confused on the basis of legitimacy. However, once these scientists are reviewed by other scientists, the results prove to be conflicting in every way.
Chapters in the book that resonated with me the most are The Age of Astroturfing, From Denial to Delay and Manipulated Media. The reason why these chapters resonate with me particularly is because astroturfing was a new term that was introduced to me through this book. It was hard for me to accept the fact that credible companies used the internet to propagate facts that were not absolutely true. Institutions such as the Information Council on the Environment partnered with an established public relations firm to infiltrate messages such as comparing global warming to the earth being flat, using Chicken Little as a spokesperson and asking the public if they would be willing to invest money in a cause that may not even exist. These messages were all channeled through areas that were heavily dependent on coal. The denial of some of these same individuals shocked men as well. These people are known as the nondenier denier who appears to be allies in educating the public about climate change, but suggests that there are more pressing issues at hand that must be addressed. As a result, these individuals make the problem worse because they delay work on the issue and subsequently lead the public to believe that climate change is not serious based on their slow response to act. The chapter about the media resonates with me the most out of all chapters. Public relations practitioners play a critical and ethical role in the media. As a public relations student, I have been taught that the role of any practitioner is to uphold truth, honesty and integrity above all else. The facts must always be reported without any negotiation or outside influence. Several media channels in the book directly contradict what I have been taught in class. Some of these media machines have endorsed dishonesty and half-truths to promote their own self interest. In a world where major newspapers report on conflicting news about similar issues, journalists compete for breaking stories and media companies struggle to survive, there is a great deal of compromise in reporting the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
These messages relate to current events in a number of ways. In my opinion it is extremely hard to trust an individual regardless of who they are. However, it becomes even more difficult to trust people when they are simple criminals dressed in suits of character and jackets of integrity. Not only is it tough to decipher between truth and reality regarding climate change issues, but it’s also becoming the same case with other issues such as the economy, healthcare and safety. People trust that the information they receive about current events will be accurate and will inform them in an efficient manner. Public relations practitioners must constantly challenge the government to enforce ethics violations and openly confront institutions and individuals who feel compelled and comfortable enough to report bewildering facts for their own self interest.