Chris Mooney is a freelance writer and the author of two books, 
Back when I was first on my learning curve about climate science, I remember always being confused about the date for each report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The official publication date would be in one year, but as soon as you did any background research, you would learn that everyone had been chit-chattering about the report in the media well before the year of official publication.
Now I understand why. Although the IPCC's fourth assessment report isn't supposed to be out until 2007, the British media are already waving around a draft version of it. IPCC drafts are extremely easy to get your hands on; they're emailed around to countless scientists. But wouldn't it be better to wait until the process is a little bit more complete before leaking? Can't the Brits contain themselves a little bit?
Comments
Hey, you're expecting media to *contain themselves*!?
Posted by: Roman Werpachowski | March 1, 2006 10:57 AM
How long have you been a journalist? :-)
Posted by: John Fleck | March 1, 2006 11:45 AM
In line with Roman's comment, the content of something is less important nowadays than how the media game is played. Gee, and to think I got so upset when the 1968 car models came out in the fall of '67, was I ever so young? Ya know, contrarian that I am, I'm starting to find a certain charm and quaintness with cuneiform now...
Posted by: Harris Contos | March 1, 2006 11:47 AM
I can't fault the BBC for wanting to report on what appears to be a substantial revision to the general consensus on global warming. One of the great virtues of science is how it's a process where the debate is open and the conclusions are not presented as some kind of fait accompli by the scientific cabal to the public, despite what some conservatives here in America would have us to think, like the folks at Powerline.
Posted by: David Wilford | March 1, 2006 11:47 AM
From the BBC story
Probably some of the people writing the report want to get the word out before the governments start spinning.
Posted by: gengar | March 1, 2006 12:21 PM
The British media just loves printing leaked reports. It's not about the news, but the one-upmanship among journalists and editors in particular. Especially compared to the US market, it's hard to understand quite how competitive the British media, especially the tabloid press, are, and how petty they can be in their competition. The Sun infamously leaked the Hutton report, which was supposed to be unleakable, and was crowing about it for months afterward.
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March 1, 2006 1:24 PM
It certainly is interesting that the U.S. media is not running this stuff....
Posted by: Chris Mooney | March 1, 2006 11:06 PM
Well the facts as reported aren't a story anyway. And since the source is UK scientist (almost certainly) whose identity isn't known there's not a great deal to go on...
Posted by: James Annan | March 6, 2006 7:44 AM