Climate of Denial
Rolling Stone, June 22, 2011
By Al Gore
The contest over global warming is a challenge for the referee because it's a tag-team match, a real free-for-all. The referee is the news media, and he seems confused about whether he is in the news business or the entertainment business. Is he responsible for ensuring a fair match? Or is he part of the show, selling tickets and building the audience? He certainly seems distracted by Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen and the latest reality show. But whatever the cause, the referee appears not to notice that the polluters and ideologues are trampling all over the "rules" of democratic discourse.
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