Loose with the facts

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British judge says An Inconvenient Truth is 'alarmist' and 'exaggerated'

In the same week that environmentalists are celebrating Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize and green Democrats are rallying to draft the former vice president for another run at the White House, a High Court British judge has declared Gore's Oscar winning film An Inconvenient Truth to be "alarmist" and "exaggerated." Justice Michael Burton determined that the documentary contains nine scientific errors, including its extreme forecast of a 20-foot sea-level rise that would wipe out downtown Manhattan.

In a 17-page decision published Wednesday, Burton ruled that schools in the UK could not screen Gore's movie without also providing equal time for balancing views. He wrote that "it is not simply a science film… but that it is a political film."

The Norwegian Nobel committee awarded Mr. Gore the prize (along with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Oct. 12, saying the former vice president was "probably the single individual who has done most" to create greater worldwide understanding of climate change.

The court decision concludes a months-long legal and political battle in the UK that began when government officials included Gore's documentary in a climate change packet for national distribution to more than 3,000 secondary schools. Stewart Dimmock, a parent and local school board official, sued to block the film, calling it propaganda.

In the wake of Dimmock's victory, some national press appear eager to publish propaganda of their own: BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin cautioned media members against reporting that the High Court ruled Gore was wrong on climate. Harrabin suggested that journalists spin the verdict with "something like: 'Al Gore whose film was judged by the High Court to have used some debatable science' or 'Al Gore whose film was judged in the High Court to be controversial in parts.' The key is to avoid suggesting that the judge disagreed with the main climate change thesis."

In other words, Al Gore remains a trustworthy source on global warming-never mind that he plays loose with the facts.