UN officials try to silence journalist on Climategate question

As many people try to find answers to the Climategate scandal, some journalists at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit are being silenced and threatened.

A video appeared over the Internet of a journalist asking Professor Stephen Schneider from Stanford University, who is also a senior member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about the e-mails that have prompted the Climategate fiasco and possibly put on hold all of the climate change legislation being put forth by governments around the world, according to South African News Blog. Journalist and filmmaker Phelim McAleer asked, “What do you think of the behaviour of Professor Phil Jones asking colleagues to delete e-mails and destruction of publicly funded data that was gathered by public funds.” Schneider responded that he doesn’t know what was asked or said and cannot comment on those e-mails. As Schneider responded to the question, one UN official attempted to grab the microphone away from McAleer but gave up until another UN official tried to stop the questioning and signalled to Schneider to stop the interview. However, Schneider continued to comment on McAleer’s question. After the Q&A session was over, McAleer waited to ask a follow-up question to Schneider but assistants to the Stanford Professor called for UN security. The security guard asked to see McAleer’s press badge and for the cameraman to shut off his camera. The cameraman did not shut off his device, which prompted the UN guard to say, “If you don’t shut that off I’m going to take it away from you.” Then the UN guard went further and later said, “I asked you to shut it off and if it happens again I’m going to take it away from you and kick you out.” The Dakota Voice reports McAleer stating, “It was a press conference. Climategate is a major story – it goes to the heart of the Global Warming debate by calling into question the scientific data and the integrity of many scientists involved. These questions should be answered. The attempts by UN officials and Professor Schneider’s assistant to remove my microphone were ham-fisted but events took a more sinister turn when they called an armed UN security officer to silence a journalist.”