Los Angeles Times riles climate-change skeptics by banning letters: A Closer Look (poll)

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Writers asserting that climate change is a hoax or is not caused by man will not get letters published in the Los Angeles Times.

(Kevork Djansezian, AP file photo)

The arguments between climate-change skeptics and proponents can be quite fierce. It might be worse than being locked in a room with two economists debating the state of the economy.

But is it an argument that is weighted equally with facts on both sides? That's another dimension of the debate.

Proponents argue that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that global warming over the past century is most likely caused by human activities, a figure disputed by deniers. Skeptics often point to a petition signed by more than 31,000 scientists urging the U.S. not to enter into the 1997 Kyoto global warming agreement, a petition that draws plenty of criticism from global-warming proponents.

The latest salvo comes with the release of a climate change report from the United Nations. The report, which has more than 800 authors and 50 editors from dozens of countries, says scientists are 95 percent confident that humans are responsible for at least "half of the observed increase in global average surface temperatures since the 1950s." (This report also brought immediate rebuttal from skeptics.)

For the Los Angeles Times, this is game over for deniers. Editors there have decided to cease running letters to the editor from skeptics. Paul Thornton of the Times explains the decision:

It's a decision that did not sit well those in the conservative media world, such as Don Irvine of the website Accuracy in Media:

Noel Sheppard of NewsBusters.com challenges Thornton to name scientists with advanced degrees who believe man is responsible for climate change. Sheppard then says he'll provide a list who disagree. "I guarantee I'll name more than he does," Sheppard says:

The deniers are kidding themselves, say Dan Becker and James Gerstenzang of the Safe Climate Campaign, writing in USA Today. They argue that skeptics and the scientists the quote are so off-the-mark on global warming that they wonder why anyone is still paying attention to them:

Jeff Nesbit of U.S. News & World Report notes the Times is not the only media outlet challenging the assertions by global-warming deniers. Popular Science has shut down comments on its website:

These moves might be the signs of a "quiet editorial revolution," Nesbit says:

But Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and a leading global-warming skeptic, tells the Washington Times the Los Angeles Times' decision unfairly eliminates the political arguments surrounding the climate-change issue:

Skeptics might argue this proves there is a media bias in regard to climate change. Media Matters would disagree. According to its study, climate-change deniers received more time on the networks after the recent release of the U.N. report, especially on Fox News, with 69 percent of its guests casting doubt. From Mother Jones:

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