Journalist exposes manipulations of science on behalf of special interests. A journalist reporting for Environmental Science and Technology, published by the American Chemical Society, is fired after an ACS board member objects to his investigative reports on industry manipulations of science.
Paul Thacker was not hired to do investigative reporting, but rather general news reporting for Environmental Science and Technology, a small industry trade publication. But then, he says, he came across junkscience.com, a Web site claiming to be dedicated to "All the junk that's fit to debunk." The site challenges scientific findings on hotbed issues such as global warming. Thacker looked into the background of "the Junkman" - site publisher Steven J. Milloy - and discovered ties to both the oil and tobacco industries. A further search, this time through the archives of tobacco-related lawsuits, revealed that Milloy was on the Philip Morris payroll as a science consultant at the same he was discrediting studies on the dangers of second-hand smoke in his role as a columnist for foxnews.com Full read here