As Media Matters for America reported, The Washington Post on May 16 published a critique by Patrick J. Michaels of the upcoming Hollywood film The Day After Tomorrow. Michaels is a professor and climate scientist who has used op-ed columns, books, and television appearances to attempt to undermine theories of global climate change despite their wide acceptance in peer-reviewed scientific literature -- and has been financially rewarded by the energy industry for his efforts. On May 25, USA Today published (posted online May 24) a similar opinion piece by Michaels on The Day After Tomorrow.

Media Matters for America noted that the Post identified Michaels simply as “senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute and author of the upcoming book Meltdown: The Predictable Exaggeration of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media,” while offering no hint either of his ties to industries with a financial stake in opposing action to curb carbon emissions or of the low regard many other climate scientists have for him. Like the Post, USA Today did not disclose Michaels's ties to the energy industry, also identifying him only as “senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute and author of the upcoming book, Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians and the Media.” Click here for the story.