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« Wild waters of rewilding | Main | Scottish wind »
Thursday
Jul232015

Heretics 3, Jesuits 0

IPSO has published its latest judgement on a case brought by Bob Ward against David Rose, the third in as many years. This revolved around a story last year about GISS's claim that 2014 was the warmest on record and their failure to note the significant possibility that that it might not be.

I must say this seemed a relatively small point to me, but it clearly got Bob Ward's blood boiling, in the way that the Jesuits would get a bit upset over minor theological transgressions. It's not so much the details of the offence as the source of the challenge to authority that upsets. No quarter for heretics.

As one might expect, therefore, our obsessive climate Jesuit handed the case over to the Inquisition - the press "regulator" IPSO - no doubt hoping that they would condemn Rose to burn at the stake. Unfortunately IPSO were not playing the same game and their judgement, handed down a few weeks ago, was, yet again, a sound defeat for Ward:

The Committee noted that information about the margin of error had been made available by GISS, but that it was not in dispute that these details had been omitted from the press release. The article had made clear that this specifically was the basis for its criticism of Nasa, and the newspaper was entitled to present its view that this omission represented a failure on the part of the organisation. While the information had been released by Nasa, it had been released to a limited selection of people, in comparison to those who would have had access to the press release, and had not been publicised to the same level as the information in the release. The press briefing images referred to by the complainant were available on Nasa’s website, but were not signposted by the press release. In this context, it was not misleading to report that the information relating to the margin of error had emerged in circumstances where the position was not made clear in the press release. While these details of the margin of error may have been noted in a press briefing two days previously, rather than “yesterday”, as reported, this discrepancy did not represent a significant inaccuracy requiring correction under the terms of the Code.

So Ward's complaint to IPSO has met the same fate as the earlier ones. Which makes the score to date Heretics 3, Jesuits 0.

One wonders how much longer this can go on before IPSO starts treating Ward as a vexatious litigant. Can they award costs against him, I wonder?

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Reader Comments (20)

The Streisand Effect

Jul 23, 2015 at 11:05 AM | Unregistered CommenterJoe Public

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein.html#WZLcBog3vQ7du2xs.99

Jul 23, 2015 at 11:21 AM | Unregistered CommenterGraeme No.3

Scatter-gun technique, if you scatter a wide enough shot, you're bound to hit something! I expect another attempt someting soon, who's up for a wager?

Jul 23, 2015 at 12:14 PM | Unregistered CommenterAlan the Brit

What's happening with Mann vs Steyn? I saw a link the other day (Mother Jones?) suggesting Steyn had lost part of the case.

Jul 23, 2015 at 12:41 PM | Unregistered CommenterTDK

Ward is clearly in Denial. He complains about misleading reporting, when he does not agree with something, only to be told his judgement was wrong all along.

As Grantham's attack dog, he represents excellent value for money, for everyone else.

Jul 23, 2015 at 1:16 PM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie

Re. the classic exemplar of insanity (expecting the same cause to have a different effect) - not Einstein but Santayana was the formulator.

Jul 23, 2015 at 2:59 PM | Unregistered CommenterJoseph Sydney

A most enjoyable, entertaining post, but nevertheless with a sting to it!

Jul 23, 2015 at 3:08 PM | Registered CommenterJohn Shade

Re. cause, effect and insanity. Perhaps I must correct my correction. I must have been thinking of Santayana on fanaticism: 'Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim'.

Jul 23, 2015 at 3:14 PM | Unregistered CommenterJoseph Sydney

I wonder when somebody is going to complain to IPSO about The Guardian and its Climate Change scribbles. Such a claimant would have a higher success rate than Ward.

Jul 23, 2015 at 4:47 PM | Unregistered CommenterJohn Peter

I wonder if Ward really expected to win, or if he just feels he has to be seen by his employer to be 'doing something' for the cause and against the 'enemy'?

The anaemic "well funded" fossil-fuel deniers theme is also often claimed without substantiation, so a regular supply of visible villains, real or imagined, is necessary.

Jul 23, 2015 at 4:58 PM | Unregistered Commentermichael hart

michael hart, it seems the very generously over funded Greens, have loads of dodgy money to throw after the last dodgy load.

Lawyers and liars just lap it all up.

Jul 23, 2015 at 5:21 PM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie

A prize should be offered Monckton for the most enjoyable and exciting t Daily Telegraph leader he can extract from :

The Committee noted that information about the margin of error had been made available by GISS, but that it was not in dispute that these details had been omitted from the press release. The article had made clear that this specifically was the basis for its criticism of Nasa, and the newspaper was entitled to present its view that this omission represented a failure on the part of the organisation. While the information had been released by Nasa, it had been released to a limited selection of people, in comparison to those who would have had access to the press release, and had not been publicised to the same level as the information in the release. The press briefing images referred to by the complainant were available on Nasa’s website, but were not signposted by the press release. In this context, it was not misleading to report that the information relating to the margin of error had emerged in circumstances where the position was not made clear in the press release. While these details of the margin of error may have been noted in a press briefing two days previously, rather than “yesterday”, as reported, this discrepancy did not represent a significant inaccuracy requiring correction under the terms of the Code.

Jul 23, 2015 at 5:40 PM | Unregistered CommenterRussell

A prize should be awarded to vvussell for maximising the irrelevance of Bob Ward's failed complaint.

That is Bob Ward's failed complaint, just in case vvussell had left any doubt.

It was Heretics 3 Jesuits 0, but thanks to some brilliant defensive Own Goals, Heretics 5 Jesuits 0

Jul 23, 2015 at 6:07 PM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie

Perhaps Ward reckoned on a 38% chance the judgement would be in his favour and figured it was good odds.

Jul 23, 2015 at 8:11 PM | Unregistered CommenterMartyn

TDK,

Just go to steynonline dot com for the answer to your question. Steyn is a bulldog and once he has his teeth in something he will not let go.

Jul 24, 2015 at 12:15 AM | Unregistered CommenterMike Singleton

Mike Singleton: That website is practically unreadable, and if there is any news on the lawsuit there, it is well buried.

Jul 24, 2015 at 12:49 AM | Unregistered CommenterPhilip

Maybe Ward ran a model that predicted success.

Jul 24, 2015 at 3:24 AM | Unregistered CommenterJohn McLean

Gosh, Golfito, I though Bob Ward's failed complaint was his letter to the Wall Street Journal protesting his op-ed:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116252563441412312

Jul 24, 2015 at 4:30 AM | Unregistered CommenterRussell

At the risk of being an apologist for the Jesuits , who have some admirable qualities , could I ask for a change in the heading to say, " Heretics 3; Inquisitors 0 " ?

Jul 24, 2015 at 5:34 AM | Unregistered CommenterHerbert

But it is just a co-incidence that Young Bobbie works at the
place funded by the man who isn't my nephew, Jeremy Grantham ........
[a quote from ....] Jeremy Grantham's 2Q 2010 letter
"Global warming will be the most important investment issue
for the foreseeable future. But how to make money around
this issue in the next few years is not yet clear to me. In a
fast-moving field rife with treacherous politics, there will be
many failures. Marketing a “climate” fund would be much
easier than outperforming with it.

remember also this article recently at some obscure blog ?
http://www.bishop-hill.net/blog/2015/7/13/integrity-and-scholarship-at-the-lse.html

Now then young man, eat your "greens" and stop telling
those big fibs, or you will give my not-nephew a bad name !

..... Auntie "Beeb"

Jul 25, 2015 at 1:52 AM | Unregistered CommenterNot Jeremy Grantham's Auntie

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