Read the press release here, and view the emails below (click to enlarge).
January 27, 2012, 8:36 a.m.
January 28, 2012, 12:09 a.m.
January 30, 2012, 8:47 a.m.
February 2, 2012, 4:50 p.m.
February 3, 2012, 10:38 a.m.
February 6, 2012, 8:57 a.m.
February 6, 2012, 8:59 a.m.
February 10, 2012, 9:56 a.m.
Why this site exists
On February 20, Peter Gleick confessed to stealing documents from The Heartland Institute with the intent of exposing its funding sources and damaging its reputation. He also disseminated a fake “climate strategy memo” that he and other environmental activists on the left claim describes Heartland’s “secret strategy” to mislead the public about the true nature of climate change.
At first Gleick claimed he obtained the fake memo along with other documents from The Heartland Institute. Now he claims it came from an anonymous source before he stole the documents. Heartland has consistently and unambiguously said the memo is a forgery and was not produced by anyone associated with The Heartland Institute.
“Fakegate” is title the title given to this scandal by the London Telegraph’s James Delingpole.
Peter Gleick is a MacArthur “Genius Award” recipient, a (recently resigned) chairman of the “Task Force on Ethics” at the American Geophysical Union, a (recently resigned) member of the National Center for Science Education, and current president of the Pacific Institute. He is featured in a “documentary” film titled “Last Call at the Oasis” now showing in selected theaters.
The Heartland Institute is continuing its vigorous investigation to find out who crafted that memo. Many have been following some of the excellent investigations into this matter, all of it unsolicited by Heartland. More sleuthing is welcome.
Why this scandal matters
In 2009 and again in 2011, a whistle blower inside the University of East Anglia leaked emails showing the loudest “roosters” of the global warming movement conspiring to limit debate, hide uncertainty, and destroy data. The scandal has been called “Climategate.”
Another global warming scandal began on January 27, when someone stole the identity of a member of the Board of Directors of The Heartland Institute, a nonprofit research organization, in order to trick a staff member into giving him confidential documents.
On February 14, DesmogBlog and ThinkProgress posted on their Web sites the stolen documents, plus a forged document allegedly describing the “secret plans” of The Heartland Institute. One day later, the Huffington Post joined the gang.
A flagrant violation of ethics
Amazingly, members of the Fakegate Gang refuse to take down the false and defamatory documents, even though almost everyone admits they are either stolen or faked.
Why didn’t DesmogBlog, ThinkProgress, and the Huffington Post get confirmation of the documents’ authenticity before posting and blogging about them? How could they not have known that posting the documents would invade the privacy and endanger the safety of many people?
Help us find the criminals!
If you have tips or posts that may help bring us closer to outing the criminals, please contact Communications Director Jim Lakely.
This Web site will be continually updated with information about the Fakegate scandal. Who stole the documents? Who forged the memo? Who knew about the theft and the forgery and failed to disclose this information to federal authorities?
We believe the culprits will be brought to justice soon, and when they do, DesmogBlog, ThinkProgress, and the Huffington Post may have some explaining to do as well.
You can help us catch the crooks by reading the articles that appear in other sections of this Web site and by following the investigation underway by hundreds of professional and amateur forensic scientists who are on the trail of the Fakegate Gang. Link to this feature on your Facebook page or at your own blogs and Web sites, tweet about #fakegate, and visit the sites linked.
Plus, you can make your comments heard at the Web sites of DesmogBlog, ThinkProgress, the Huffington Post, and other Web sites that have joined the Fakegate Gang, condemning their conduct.
You can become a contributor to The Heartland Institute by clicking here.