|
|
Article: POLAR PLUNGE? IS GLOBAL WARMING DRIVING POLAR BEARS TO EXTINCTION? BEAR COUNTS UP FIVEFOLD SINCE '70S.(FORUM)(GUEST COLUMN)(Column)
- Article from:
- The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)
- Article date:
- March 4, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Capital Newspapers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: H. STERLING BURNETT
Cable TV satirist Stephen Colbert coined a term truthiness, which the online encyclopedia Wikipedia explains is "to claim to 'know' something ... 'from the gut' without regard to evidence, logic ... or actual facts."
Truthiness, thus, is an emotional appeal meant to short-circuit intellectual examination of the claims being made.
A prime example of the effectiveness of truthiness came in late December when environmental lobbyists persuaded the Bush administration to recommend that the polar bear be listed as threatened due to global warming.
In lieu of evidence, environmentalists offered mostly anecdotes ...