Resounding victory against disinformation in the United States: one of the most eminent American climatologists has won a defamation suit against two ultraconservative bloggers who had questioned his research on climate change. Michael Mann obtains one million dollars in damages. An unprecedented judgment described as a “triumph for science” across the Atlantic.
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Michael Mann is a world-renowned climatologist. His research on the climate change allowed a broad public to understand that rising temperatures were directly caused by human activity and in particular the use of fossil fuels.
In 2012, political analyst Rand Simberg and author Mark Steyn, both far-right, accused the climate scientist of manipulating his research data and compared him to a notorious pedophile. Michael Mann then filed a complaint for defamation. The legal battle, during which the two defendants took refuge behind the principle – sacrosanct in the United States – of freedom of expression, lasted 12 years.
But this Thursday, February 8, the jury of the Court of the District of Columbia unanimously ruled in favor of the plaintiff. “ I hope this verdict sends a clear message: baseless attacks on climate scientists will no longer go unpunished ” said Michael Mann.
The ruling was welcomed by researchers around the world. And if this verdict will not prevent anonymous people from continuing their smear campaigns on social networks, the million dollars in damages will perhaps calm the comments of certain public figures.
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