In the words of Australian commentator Joanne Nova, ‘the opposite of skeptical is gullible.’ Journalists are supposed to be skeptical – of everyone and everything. Those who don’t approach the world in this manner end up being mouthpieces for other people’s agendas.

Since skepticism is a journalist’s default position, it is perhaps a misnomer to label me a climate skeptic. I am a professional skeptic, period, and have no opinion on which branch of the scientific community will turn out to be correct on a variety of climate change questions.

The contempt with which many climate activists regard free speech is a primary reason I became interested in the climate debate. (See, for example, Greenpeace’s declaration that free speech “does not apply” to people whose climate views diverge from its own.)

Activists who would deprive fellow citizens of fundamental rights in the service of a cause are dangerous. It is the duty of a journalist to warn the community about such people.

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