On the Media's Bob Garfield recently discussed the NY Times magazine's Freeman Dyson profile with Joe Romm. You can count on Romenesko to capture the best moment in the exchange: ROMM: What The New York Times Magazine has done is elevate Dyson to a very high degree of credibility as a highly credible source on global warming, which he isn't.
GARFIELD:
Wow, I so can't believe we've read the same story. The story I read didn't promote his opinions in any fashion, such as you're describing. Take a moment to read the entire transcript, which includes Garfield's interview with Nicholas Dawidoff, the author of the Dyson piece. Garfield also rebuts the smear tactics waged against Dawidoff:
While Romm and others may be rightfully aggrieved by what they deem to be the legitimization of wild climate theories, their accusation that Nicholas Dawidoff is a sportswriter and therefore unfit to profile Freeman Dyson is plainly inaccurate.
I think it's good that Romm's harebrained attacks on reporters get examined more closely by the media. And that he's called on to defend his rants publicly. Garfield is also highly respected. His debate with Romm is a necessary antitode to the echo-chamber insanity that poured forth after the Dyson piece appeared.
