Scott Whitlock asserted in an Aug. 16 NewsBusters post that ABC “hid the identity of a global warming activist” during a news segment:
The journalist featured a clip of Heidi Cullen, who ABC simply labeled as a “climatologist.” She announced, “When you crank up the heat, when you globally warm the planet, you’re going to see more extreme events.”
Yet, Cullen is also the communications director for Climate Central, a group dedicated to “helping mainstream Americans understand how climate change connects to them, and arming our audiences with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future.”
But as Media Matters pointed out, the segment in question included “Climate Central” superimposed during the Cullen clip.
Whitlock has since inserted a correction into his post:
[08-17-11 Correction: ABC did have the words “Climate Central” in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Though, the network did not offer any explanation of the group’s advocacy.]
This correction did not appear on the front page of NewsBusters, which runs counter to the MRC’s demands for correction placement by non-MRC media.