How Dare You Criticise The BBC!
A few days ago, the BBC posted an article to their website with the title ‘UK heatwave: Weather forecasters report unprecedented trolling‘
The article is not long, so I reproduce it in its entirety, intersperced with my own comments.
It begins:
Weather forecasters faced unprecedented levels of trolling during this month’s extreme heat in the UK, according to leading figures in the industry.
The BBC’s team received hundreds of abusive tweets or emails questioning their reports and telling them to “get a grip”, as temperatures hit 40C.
Oh dear, is the BBC now above criticism?
BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor said he had never experienced anything like it in nearly 25 years working in weather.
The Royal Meteorological Society condemned the trolling.
Of course they do, they fully support climate alarmism, and by inference, anyone who dares disagree with them is now a ‘troll’.
Most of the abuse seems to have been prompted as links were made between the heatwave and climate change.
The UK saw record high temperatures on 19 July, with 40C exceeded for the first time. Dozens of locations saw temperatures above the previous UK record of 38.7C and 15 fire services declared a state of emergency because of a surge in blazes.
As usual, no mention is made of which record is being referred to. There are four;
- The satellite era, which began in 1979
- The thermometer record, which began in 1659 (the Central England Temperature Record)
- The ice-core record, which goes back 800,000 years, and
- The deep-ocean sediment record, which goes back 600 million years.
The article shows this illustration, dated July 29th, in which it is interesting to note Heathrow Airport is not shown, and the reading for RAF Coningsby has been increased from the reported 40.2C to 40.3C.
The Met Office estimated the heatwave had been made 10 times more likely because of climate change.
I’m sure they did, but an estimate is not proof, and again as usual, no evidence was offered to back up this claim.
The BBC’s Matt Taylor said: “It’s a more abusive tone than I’ve ever received. I switched off a bit from it all as it became too depressing to read some of the responses.”
Well hard luck Matt Taylor, the majority of the public are fed up of hearing your messages of impending doom.
Met Office and Royal Meteorological Society forecasters were also targeted.
Members of the latter body faced “public ridicule, accusations of lying or suggestions of being blackmailed”, said Royal Meteorological Society chief executive Professor Liz Bentley.
“Anecdotally, abusive comments increase when the message about climate change is intrinsic to the story,” she said.
Met Office lead meteorologist Alex Deakin said “it’s scary in some ways”, adding: “I find it more frustrating and offensive for my colleagues – some of the great minds in climate science. Show a bit of respect and do a bit more research rather than just believe Bob down the pub or Tony on YouTube.”
Some of the great minds in climate science? Most of these people take this alarmist stance for fear of losing their funding or their jobs. I’m sure some genuinely believe what they are saying, and others ARE lying.
Since I became involved with PSI, I have documented five instances in the last two years where the BBC have been caught out lying about the climate, most of which PSI has published articles about.
Some examples of the tweets the BBC received:
The article continues:
Tweets aimed at BBC Weather and its presenters featured personal insults and messages such as “it’s just summer” – many described advice on how to stay cool as pandering to the “woke-brigade” or for “snowflakes”.
Other tweets accused the Met Office and the BBC of spreading “alarmism” and “hysteria”, telling both to “stop scaremongering”.
Well done to those who sent those tweets, spreading alarmism and hysteria is exactly what the BBC and Met Office are doing.
However, criticising tips on how to stay cool in hot weather is unwarranted.
Hundreds of people have also shared their experiences of the 1976 heatwave on social media, with many making the false suggestion that this month’s heatwave was “no different”.
The peak temperature in 1976 was 35.9C, more than four degrees lower than the 40.3C recorded on 19 July. Nine out of 10 of the hottest days ever recorded in the UK have been since 1990, according to the Met Office. The hottest day from 1976 ranks as 13th in the list of the hottest UK days on record.
Birmingham where I live was forecast to be 40C on Monday, then reduced it to 37C and subsequently 36. My digital thermometer recorded 34.6.
The hottest places according to the BBC were Heathrow Airport and RAF Coningsby, both recording 40.2C. Both have the weather stations surrounded by acres of concrete & tarmac. Did the BBC mention that? No.
Periods of intense heat do occur within natural weather patterns, but they are becoming more frequent around the world, more intense and are lasting longer as a result of human-induced climate change.
Again, no evidence was provided to back up this claim, we are just expected to believe without question, because as the BBC themselves tell us, they are the ‘gold standard’ of impartial truthful reporting.
BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker said: “What frustrates me most is when I’m accused of twisting the truth. As meteorologists, we report facts. There is no conspiracy.”
Jennifer Bartram, BBC North East’s weather forecaster, linked the level of abuse with what she saw as high-level climate disinformation circulating.
Jennifer Bartram is right, there is high-level climate misinformation circulating, much of it coming from the BBC.
“I’ve noticed abuse getting nastier and more personal, and it’s pretty demoralising when you’re trying to do your job.”
Matt Taylor said covering the heatwave was “really emotional” and it felt “like a real turning point in public attitude and realisation to what has happened to our climate.”
He added: “The weather is very emotive. It gets people so worked up. What’s good for some is bad for others and vice versa.
“Our climate has changed, so our reporting and response also has to change. All we’re trying to do is bring people the facts.”
I’ve been here since 1962, so have witnessed two 30-year periods of climate, and I’ve seen nothing to make me think the climate is deteriorating. If anything, with the current warming trend, the climate has become more benign.
BBC Weather said: “It is completely unacceptable for any member of staff to receive abuse on social media simply for doing their job.”
Getting abuse for doing your job is part of life, so should we take pity on the concentration camp guards for getting abuse after the war? They were only doing their jobs.
See the BBC article here: bbc.co.uk
Header image: PKpng
About the author: Andy Rowlands is a university graduate in space science and British Principia Scientific International researcher, writer and editor who co-edited the new climate science book, ‘The Sky Dragon Slayers: Victory Lap‘
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James
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We are told the African Anticyclone extended further North than usual, so bringing some extra heat. Why should it do that? Is this any different from the ongoing disappearance of the Wurm glacier over the last 15k years?
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Geraint HUghes
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The BBC is now a disgraceful organisation and should be scrapped.
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Andy Rowlands
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I totally agree.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Andy,
You wrote: “The article shows this illustration, dated July 29th, in which it is interesting to note Heathrow Airport is not shown, and the reading for RAF Coningsby has been increased from the reported 40.2C to 40.3C.” Have you ever tried to read a Celsius temperature to a tenth of a degree with an ordinary Celsius thermometer?
And just before this you had written: “As usual, no mention is made of which record is being referred to. There are four;
The satellite era, which began in 1979
The thermometer record, which began in 1659 (the Central England Temperature Record)
The ice-core record, which goes back 800,000 years, and
The deep-ocean sediment record, which goes back 600 million years.”
Relative to #2, I am sure you will find that the temperatures measured are Fahrenheit temperature measured to the nearest degree. And relative to #3 and #4, are you suggesting these temperatures are “accurate” to the nearest degree?
You have just documented BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor’s complaint.
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Chris*
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I believe Tony ( Heller) on YouTube.
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