Statement from Kip Hansen – May 22, 2021
Covering Climate Now (CCNow) is an advocacy group working on the Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) at Columbia University in New York, USA. Their aim is to spread fear and concern about what they consider to be a “climate emergency” or a “climate crisis” – or, as they say, “to raise public awareness”. They are openly political, liberal-progressive and in the two-party political system of the USA they not only support and actively promote the Democratic Party and its political platforms, but also openly call on the opposing Republican Party not to support climate alarmism – to the extreme. that “political leaders who deny the established science of climate change should be tried for crimes against humanity”. [ source ]
CCNow claims to serve 460 media outlets around the world with daily penetration of 2 billion readers or listeners. [ source ]
Their approach is to feed pre-written stories, editorial narratives, and shared resources to heighten the voices of concern and convince the people of the world that there is a climate crisis where everyone must abandon fossil fuels, access to inexpensive electricity, air travel and natural gas heating and cooking, and myriad other benefits of modern life that are a normal part of our developed societies. In addition, they provide story sharing opportunities where stories can easily be republished / republished in one media company or used as a basis for “original” rewriting in another media company.
But don’t be fooled. While many of the journalists and reporters participating in this propaganda campaign are “true believers” and honestly think they are doing the right thing, even when they knowingly write biased, one-sided, exaggerated versions of the possible downsides of a warming world, they don’t seem that Intending to give up something in their own life – only other people will be obliged to do so. They are no different from the now rich politicians who worry about how bad climate change will be while buying up waterfront mansions in the most expensive enclaves of the world’s rich. These journalists will still love to fly around the world to write about the worries of the poor and to attend every climate conference with Hollywood stars.
So you can ask yourself, “Who pays for all of this?”
This question is both simple and difficult. It’s easy to find that CCNow’s funding sources are publicly recognized, those who allow their support to be encouraged. It is unknown if The Guardian, The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, or the major news outlets and television news networks actually fund salaries at CCNow. It’s hard to find out who is really pay Has all of the cost of employee salaries, website hosting, story writing, public relations, and all other costs inherent in a large, far-reaching advocacy group – as CCNow is unregistered and is not 501 (3) c itself there is no traceable reporting of donations.
Here is the official statement from CCNow:
Now cover the climate This was made possible by generous grants from Actions @ EBMF, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Michaux Family Foundation, the Park Foundation, the Rockefeller Family & Associates, the Schumann Media Center and Wayne Crookes. The Financial sponsor For climate cover is now the DC-based 501c3, the Fund for Constitutional Government. We are looking for additional resources to keep the collaboration going. Please contact Judy Doctoroff at judy@coveringclimatenow.org for more information.
And the:
Founded in 2019 by Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation in partnership with The Guardian and WNYC, CCNow’s 460+ partners include some of the biggest names in the news and some of the smallest as this story needs everyone. In addition to three of the world’s largest news agencies – Reuters, Bloomberg and Agence France Presse – each providing content for thousands of other newsrooms, our partners include CBS News, NBC and MSNBC News, Noticias Telemundo, PBS NewsHour, Univision, Al Jazeera; most of the largest public radio stations in the US; many flagship newspapers and television stations in America, Europe, and Asia; and dozens of leading magazines and journals including Nature, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, and Mother Jones.
The big reveal is that CCNow operates under the guise of the Fund for Constitutional Government (FCG). This means that the FCG is dropping CCNow under the guise of its 501 (c) 3 status, even though CCNow is not a registered entity – it is considered a separate project.
And who is FCG when they get up every morning?
“The Fund for Constitutional Government (FCG) is a publicly funded foundation dedicated to exposing and correcting corruption in the US federal government. The FCG does this work by funding organizations and journalists who work to promote and maintain open and accountable government. The FCG is a Section 501 (c) (3) organization and can also act as a financial sponsor for new projects. “
What federal government corruption has to do with CCNow’s current propaganda efforts is a mystery – the only connection would be journalism if CCNow only really did what it isn’t. CCNow is an advocacy group that corrupts journalism for what they see as a white hat cause – doing good – of each means.
And while Stephen H. Schneider tried repeatedly to retrace his published 1989 statement, CCNow took his original statement very seriously – so much so that it appears to be its guiding principle:
“On the one hand, we as scientists are ethically bound to the scientific method and actually promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing else than – which means that we all have to include doubts, reservations, ifs and buts and buts. On the other hand, we are not only scientists, but also humans. And like most people, we want to see the world as a better place, which in this context is reflected in our work to reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic climate change. To do this, we need broad support in order to spark the public’s imagination. That means a lot of media coverage, of course. So we have to offer scary scenarios, make simplistic, dramatic statements, and barely mention any doubts we might have. This “double ethical bond” in which we often find ourselves cannot be resolved by any formula. Each of us must decide how to strike the right balance between being effective and being honest. I hope that means being both. “
Unfortunately, Mark Hertsgaard & Kyle Pope, the founders of CCNow, seem to be dedicated to just that bold Part of Schneider’s testimony, and exclude any ethical reservations. A review of the stories posted by CCNow shows that no effort is made to determine that the stories they ghostwriters and share with news outlets are scientifically honest or even factually correct.
Follow the money
It’s nearly impossible to follow the money with an unincorporated group hiding behind the tax sponsorship of a larger nonprofit. Therefore I have to report a “zero result” or a “negative result” after a great effort. I haven’t found a large mysterious malicious group funding CCNow.
So who pays for CCNow? Where does the money come from?
For those with little patience and equal curiosity, the simple answer is:
The usual suspects
And who would that be?
Constitutional Government Fund
The Stewart R. Mott Foundation
Park Foundation Inc.
Rockefeller Family Fund [and several other Rockefeller family-related trusts and foundations]
Center for Climate Integrity (CCI)
Schumann Media Center Inc. [Bill Moyers is President]
and to a lesser extent:
Actions @ EBMF [a grantmaking branch of Earle Brown Music Foundation Charitable Trust]
Wayne Crookes [Canadians will recognize this name]
The Motts, Parks and Rockefellers fund many leftist and progressive organizations. I would have to be funded by the FCG or the Rockefellers to have the resources to figure out where the money is really coming from. I can’t even figure out how much money is involved in it.
The whiteboard from CCNow consists of:
Michael Cavallo – Author and former director of renewable energy for C40 cities
Mark Hertsgaard – Editor at The Nation
Conrad Martin – Executive Director of the Fund for Constitutional Government and on the board of the Stewart R. Mott Foundation
Kyle Pope – Editor and publisher of Columbia Journalism Review
Jane Spencer – Assistant Editor and Head of Strategy at Guardian US
Katrina vanden Heuvel – Editor and Chief Editor of The Nation
The team (I suspect this means paid employees):
Mark Hertsgaard – Co-Founder and Managing Director
Judy Doctoroff – General Manager
Karin Kamp – digital editor
Mekdela Maskal – engagement editor
Andrew McCormick – assistant director
Symone Moore – Project Coordinator
Lili Zay – Research and Engagement Coordinator
For more information on the above topics, please visit the CCNow About page. When you click names, a pop-up info window will appear.
Conclusion:
Covering Climate Now appears to be funded by the usual group of leftist and progressive not-for-profit foundations and news organizations that have already run their own climate-related propaganda campaigns.
While CCNow’s efforts represent a reprehensible corruption of journalism, there does not appear to be any identifiable unusual source of funding.
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Author’s comment:
I didn’t expect to say much about CCNow funding, but felt like I should share what I found. Rather disappointing. . . but the reality is often.
Funding in the world of nonprofits is based on a good idea, a good “pitch” and a “popular thing”. I’ve raised thousands for my little 501 (c) 3, who helps poor families with just one website and registers with foundations that “pass on” donations – so donors can be separated from donation recipients in one step. My “good idea” are loans for small businesses to deeply poor families so that they can lift themselves out of poverty through family businesses. The pitch is that effort of one family (the donor) to Another family, Recipient. And helping the poor, helping themselves, has always been a popular thing.
CCNow has perverted this pattern in order to raise funds to get people to come up with socially destructive solutions to a non-existent problem. Do me a favor, share CCNow whenever and wherever you can. Many Thanks.
When speaking to me, start comments with “Kip …”.
Thank you for reading.
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