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The DeSmogBlog, founded in January 2006, is a non-profit internet project and blog that focuses on topics related to global warming. The site describes itself as "the world's number one source for accurate, fact based information regarding Global Warming misinformation campaigns." DeSmogBlog opposes what it describes as "a well-funded and highly organized public relations campaign" that it claims was "poisoning" the climate change debate.

Since its inception, the site has received several mentions in the media regarding its involvement in global warming issues. The site was co-founded by Jim Hoggan, president of a public relations firm based in Vancouver, Canada. The website was recognized in December 2007 with an award by a trade organization for its standards and content.

Content

Mission

The blog was co-founded in January 2006 by James Hoggan, president of the public relations firm Hoggan and Associates. In a February 2007 interview with the Vancouver Sun, he described his anger at what he saw as repeated misinformation being put out on behalf of industry interests to mislead the public about the scientific understanding of global warming caused by human activity, which he referred to as "public relations at its sleaziest". The site had been launched using his own expertise in marketing to "clear the PR pollution that clouds the science of climate change" and to expose organizations and individuals which he considered to be unethical. DeSmogBlog reports on the credibility of experts who appear in the media to repeat misinformation on global warming by investigating their funding sources and connections to industry. The site originally targeted a Canadian audience but is now involved in global climate change coverage.

Contributors to the site assist in researching organizations that the site's staff believe are phony, grassroots organizations, or astroturf groups sponsored directly or indirectly by industries seeking to thwart climate change-related legislation. Organizations alleged by the blog to be astroturfs include Friends of Science, Natural Resources Stewardship Project, Global Climate Coalition, and International Climate Science Coalition. Individuals that the site has identified as pushing an anti-climate change point of view are listed in the site's "Denial Database", with accompanying information about their industry affiliations and professional biographies. In a Financial Post column, Canadian environmentalist Lawrence Solomon stated that the organization was, in Solomon's words, "specifically created for the purpose of discrediting skeptics."

Notable issues or media mentions

In one instance, the site responded to a 2006 open letter opposing the Canadian Government's climate-change plans, claimed to be signed by "accredited experts in climate and related scientific disciplines", by analyzing the list of the signatories. The site concluded that those checked had few peer-reviewed publications on the topic and/or had fossil fuel industry connections.

DeSmogBlog has criticized Financial Post editor and columnist Terence Corcoran for what the site's staff states are his efforts to impede progress on climate change and environmental protection legislation in Canada. In turn, Corcoran has criticized Hoggan and his website, accusing both of serving the interests of large corporations hoping to make money on emissions trading.

The blog has been referenced in The Guardian by George Monbiot, who most recently cited a study by the website showing that in 2008 "the number of internet pages proposing that man-made global warming is a hoax or a lie more than doubled". In another column, Monbiot noted that DeSmogBlog posted a video critical of Anthony Watts's blog Watts Up With That that Watts had deleted from YouTube for copyright reasons. Monbiot has also mentioned DeSmogBlog's efforts to expose efforts by oil, coal, and electricity companies to manipulate media views on climate change.

Traffic

As of April 2010, DeSmogBlog was ranked at 75,259 on Alexa, a website which measures web traffic. The site's rank in its home country of Canada was 57,512 and 58,939 in the United States (US). According to Alexa, 1,295 other websites carried links to DeSmogBlog. In a disclaimer, Alexa states that lower-ranking sites may not be accurately ranked. According to Alexa, "Traffic rankings of 100,000 and above should be regarded as not reliable. Conversely, the closer a site gets to #1, the more reliable its traffic ranking becomes."

As of April 2010, Quantcast, a website which also measures web traffic, ranked the site, with what it said was an estimate, at 67,485 in websites viewed in the US. Quantcast stated that DeSmogBlog receives about 21,000 views a month from people in the US with slightly more than 50% being male.

In a report in the Globe and Mail, Hoggan stated that the most frequent visitors to the site came from Calgary, Ottawa, and Washington D.C..

Founder and staff

The site's co-founder, James Hoggan, is President of the Vancouver-based public relations firm James Hoggan & Associates, chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, a trustee of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and an executive member of the Urban Development Institute. He is the author of the book Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, which criticizes global warming skepticism. The sources do not identify the site's other co-founder.

The website names John Lefebvre as a benefactor. Frequent contributors to the blog include Ross Gelbspan and Richard Littlemore. Littlemore is a science writer who formerly worked for the Vancouver Sun. The site's project manager is Kevin Grandia, a former aid to Raymond Chan.

Awards

The site was recognized in December 2007 by three British Columbia chapters of the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Vancouver, Victoria (CPRS-vi) and Northern Lights in Prince George, with an award for demonstrating "The highest ethical and professional standards while performing outstanding work". In a CPRS press release which accompanied the award, Hoggan stated that the site had been viewed by 520,000 people over its history, had been cited as a source by 24 media outlets, and mentioned in more than 4,500 other blogs. According to the press release, the blog was selected for the award by a panel of journalists and public relations professionals in Victoria, Vancouver, and Prince George.

See also

• Climate change denial
• Global warming controversy
• RealClimate
• Watts Up With That

References

1. ^ "Who we Are". DeSmogBlog.com. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
2. ^ Gorrie, Peter (January 28, 2007). "Who's still cool on global warming?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
3. Hoggan, Jim (December 5, 2005). "www.DeSmogBlog.com – Blowing off the PR pollution that clouds climate science". CNW Group. {{cite news}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
4. Littlemore, Richard (March 31, 2008). "A rail journey in search of Al Gore". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
5. Foster, Peter (November 19, 2009). "Peter Foster: A load of Hoggan-wash". Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
6. ^ Hansen, Darah (February 17, 2007). "One man's green PR battle". Vancouver: Vancouver Sun. p. L.17. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
7. Solomon, Lawrence (November 28, 2009). "Google climate 'scholars'" (Opinion column). Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
8. Littlemore, Richard. "Terry Corcoran: King of Canadian Climate Change Deniers" (blog post). DeSmogBlog.com. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
9. Corcoran, Terence (October 22, 2009). "Climatism and the new green industrial state" (Opinion column). Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
10. Monbiot, George (November 2, 2009). "Clive James isn't a climate change sceptic, he's a sucker – but this may be the reason" (Opinion column). The Guardian.
11. Monbiot, George (July 30, 2009). "Climate change deniers claim they're censored. What hypocrites" (Opinion column). The Guardian.
12. Monbiot, George (July 8, 2009). "Climate denial 'astroturfers' should stop hiding behind pseudonyms online" (Opinion column). The Guardian.
13. "desmogblog.com". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
14. "About the Alexa Traffic Rankings". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
15. "DeSmogBlog.com". Quantcast. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
16. Mittelstaedt, Martin (February 17, 2007 and March 31, 2009). "The New Climate Almanac: Desmogging the Blogosphere". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2010-03-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
17. "James Hoggan & Associates Inc.: Media Advisory" (Press release). Marketwire. October 28, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
18. Solomon, Lawrence (November 21, 2009). "Lawrence Solomon: What she didn't ask" (Opinion column). Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
19. Shaw, Hollie (June 5, 2009). "Thinking outside the cube". Financial Post. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
20. "Canadian Public Relations Society names three PR campaigns as award winners" (Press release). Ottawa: Canada NewsWire. December 11, 2007. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

• Science blogs
• Political weblogs