Scientists collaborate to sort fact from fiction in climate change media coverage

A new global collaboration platform aims to help the general public know which climate change articles they can trust, based on evaluations and feedback from actual scientists.

Even as the media coverage of climate issues continues to grow, so does the amount of climate misinformation and the number of misinterpretations of climate data and research findings, which can lead to mistrust and skepticism about those issues. Part of that may be because of the never-ending quest for readers and pageviews, which is behind the rash of clickbait headlines and sensational "science by press release," wherein writers spin an article around the most buzzworthy element in the story, which may or may not be relevant or even true, and which then becomes referenced as a "fact" in future articles.

Another part of the climate change coverage is driven by opposition and skepticism, which also falls prey to the lure of click-worthy headlines and the use of data taken out of context, or which conveniently leaves out part of the story in order to cater to their audience's beliefs and to support their own viewpoint.
http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/scientists-collaborate-sort-fact-fiction-climate-change-media-coverage.html