‘MEDIA BIAS/FACT CHECK’ Site Fails Fact Check

Written by John O'Sullivan on March 13, 2020. Posted in Current News

Discredited self-styled ‘fact checker’ website is served with a ‘cease and desist’ legal notice today for publishing unsubstantiated and defamatory claims against Principia Scientific International (PSI).

MEDIA BIAS FACT CHECK site owner admits he is unqualified and misrepresented himself as a seasoned journalist.

According to MEDIA BIAS FACT CHECK Principia Scientific International CIC is:

“CONSPIRACY-PSEUDOSCIENCE Sources in the Conspiracy-Pseudoscience category may publish unverifiable information that is not always supported by evidence. These […]”

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/?s=principia+scientific+international

So, who is fact-checking the ‘fact checkers’?

Today, PSI has issued Media Bias/Fact Check (MB/FC) site owner, Dave Van Zandt with a pre-action legal notice to take down the defamatory and false smear.

Ironically, the self-styled ‘MEDIA BIAS/ FACT CHECK‘ (MB/FC)  which negatively fact-checked PSI admits it relies on subjective bias to decide how biased others are. In other words MB/FC is a pseudoscientific fact checker!

Apart from unlawfully smearing PSI Mr Van Zandt has smeared other websites that publish scientific articles critical of man-made global warming claims. Among the unfairly smeared are:

• climatechangedispatch.com
• Climate Depot
• CFACT
• WUWT

Below we help readers to fact check the pseudo fact checker. We put Dave Van Zandt the faceless fact checker under the microscope and discovered the following:

• Van Zandt cites no scientific qualifications at all

• Van Zandt was exposed by WND as a fraud and a liar

• Van Zandt’s website (MB/FC) does not apply any objective scientific method

• Van Zandt relies on unverifiable subjectivity (own bias) to make judgments

In a 2017 WND Exclusive ‘Phony baloney: The 9 fakest fake-news checkers’ Chelsea Schilling uncovered that Van Zandt was a seasoned systemic faker. She wrote:

“WND was unable to locate a single article with Van Zandt’s byline. Ironically, the “fact checker” fails to establish his own credibility by disclosing his qualifications and training in evaluating news sources.

Asked for information concerning his expertise in the field of journalism and evaluating news sources, Van Zandt told WND: “I am not a journalist and just a person who is interested in how media bias impacts politics. You will find zero claims of expertise on the website.”

Concerning his purported “25+ years” of experience writing for print and web media, he said: “I am not sure why the 25+ years is still on the website.”

With the increasing scourge of fake news reports, especially on matters of wider scientific interest, Principia Scientific International (PSI) has become a recognised source of highly-qualified scientific opinion. That scoundrels like Mr Van Zandt get such traction with his bogus ‘fact checking’ website is testimony for the need for more diligence and push back from honest scientists and citizens sickened by endless scientific fraud and misinformation.

Below we share with readers the take down letter issued today to Mr Van Zandt:

Mr Dave Van Zandt

Media Bias/Fact Check

(mediabiasfactcheck.com)

Greensboro, NC

[email protected]

Dear Mr Dave Van Zandt,

Re: Notice to Cease & Desist Libelous Conduct

Please accept this communication as a Cease and Desist Notice prior to legal action under 28 U.S. Code § 4101(1).

It has been drawn to our attention that your business, MEDIA BIAS FACT CHECK is libeling our business, Principia Scientific International(PSI) by posting the following (recorded on March 13, 2020)

On your site at:  https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/methodology/  you state:

“Conspiracy/Pseudoscience

The Conspiracy/Pseudoscience designation is reserved for sources that publish unverifiable information that relates to known conspiracies such as the New World Order, Illuminati, False Flags, Aliens, etc. Pseudoscience is determined by publishing unverified health and scientific claims. In order to be classified in this group the central theme of the source must revolve around conspiracies or pseudoscience.”

On the same webpage you add the following disclaimer:

“Disclaimer: The methodology used by Media Bias Fact Check is our own.  It is not a tested scientific method.  It is meant as a simple guide for people to get an idea of a source’s bias.  Media Bias Fact Check will always review and change any factual errors when brought to our attention.  We make every effort to be as factual as possible.  Our goal is to have MBFC rated as least biased by our own criteria.”

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary the term ‘pseudoscience’ is defined as:  “a system of theories, assumptions, and methods erroneously regarded as scientific.”

You thus taint our scientific organisation as unscientific – a palpable lie provable in a court of law.

It is our belief you have made the above published statement with intention of causing damage to the reputation of our legally regulated UK non-profit scientific association which is scrupulously regulated under law as a community interest company (CiC).

By law a CIC is prohibited from political bias i.e. it cannot advocate for any political point of view. To engage in such action would render us likely to be struck off the register or be prosecuted.

Contrary to the false impression you give your readers, we are an international body of 5,500+ members, many of whom are credentialed science professionals, engineers and STEM academics, including award-winning scientists, government experts, etc.

Our published work is not pseudoscience but premised on established scientific methods. A select list of some of our distinguished member is here: A Selection Of Member Biographies. [1]

In conclusion, not only do you admit your own methodology is unscientific, but because you also fail to cite which specific PSI posts are pseudoscience, you condemn all our members, which compounds your own bias.

As per 28 U.S. Code § 4101(1) we regard the words below civilly actionable and demand removal of them within 28 days:

 “CONSPIRACY-PSEUDOSCIENCE Sources in the Conspiracy-Pseudoscience category may publish unverifiable information that is not always supported by evidence. These […]”

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/?s=principia+scientific+international

If you persist in maintaining this false assertion against us to jeopardize our legal standing, I hereby require you to provide substantiation of your accusation. You may do so by providing us a selection of hyperlinks from published material on our website(s) which you claim are ‘conspiracy-pseudoscience.’

Such evidence may then be considered for submission to a court of law for adjudication of the veracity of your claims.

If you are unwilling/unable to provide us the evidence you rely on to make your claims then you are hereby required to remove your false statement.

[1] https://principia-scientific.com/why-psi-is-proposed-as-a-cic/

I await your reply.

Sincerely,

John O’Sullivan  CEO

Principia Scientific International CIC (No: 10824140) Fully incorporated in the UK for charitable purposes. http://principia-scientific.org/

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