Reviews of articles from: The New York Times

ARTICLE REVIEWS

Atlantic ocean circulation system is slowing down, as accurately described in The New York Times article

in The New York Times, by Moises Velasquez-Manoff and Jeremy White

“This article is well-written, and the visuals are outstanding. It is a very strong piece of science communication. That being said, there is at least one error. The author mistakenly conflates the long-term warming hole with the shorter-term North Atlantic cold anomaly. The two phenomena have very different timescales and are likely driven by different mechanisms.”

— 11 Mar 2021


New York Times op-ed claiming scientists underestimated climate change lacks supporting evidence

in The New York Times, by Eugene Linden

“Most of the specific facts and statistics in this op-ed are correct, but the overall effect is significantly misleading. The author’s central point is that scientists have been drastically underestimating the scope and the pace of climate change until just the past decade or so, and recent events such as permafrost melting, ice cap loss, and extreme weather events have caught them by surprise. This is simply not true.”

— 18 Nov 2019


New York Times’ coverage of IPCC report clearly presents conclusions

in The New York Times, by Coral Davenport

This story in The New York Times covered the October release of the IPCC’s “Global Warming of 1.5 °C” report. Scientists who reviewed the story found that it provided an accurate and detailed summary of the report, though some statements about warming being “worse than previously thought” could have used some clarifying context.

— 24 Jan 2019


New York Times story accurately describes Rio Grande’s climate context

in The New York Times, by Henry Fountain

“The issue of water resource management in the western US and how it fits within a changing climate is extremely complex and spans many disciplines from climatology to hydrology to city planning to population dynamics, and so on. This article does a nice job presenting the very basics of the climate science involved and tying the greater changes to the personal stories of people in the region.”

— 31 May 2018


New York Times effectively informs readers about large Larsen C iceberg calving event

in The New York Times, by Jugal K. Patel and Justin Gillis

“The article handles a complex topic well. It would be easy to be alarmist with this subject matter, and while its lede edges that way, the main content of the article is very balanced. It also presents a lot of interesting information in a compelling manner.”

— 17 Jan 2018


New York Times accurately covers 2017 record low Arctic winter sea ice extent

in The New York Times, by Henry Fountain

“The article accurately reports on the state of Arctic sea ice at the annual maximum (in March) and its causes, and gives an insightful discussion as to the implications. There is one point which may be misleading…”

— 16 Jan 2018


New York Times’ news coverage of 2016 global temperature data was an accurate summary

in The New York Times, by Justin Gillis

“A clear and accurate article on the temperature record in 2016, looking back at the records in 2015 and 2014. The article places them in the proper context of long-term warming, while mentioning the special effect that helped make the year a record.”

— 16 Jan 2018


New York Times’ “straightforward answers” to common climate questions are accurate, too

in The New York Times, by Justin Gillis

This article in The New York Times serves as a primer by briefly answering seventeen basic questions about the cause and consequences of—and possible solutions to—climate change. Ten scientists reviewed the article, and generally found the answers to be highly accurate distillations of the research on that topic.

— 28 Sep 2017


New York Times accurately assesses the state of Alaskan permafrost

in The New York Times, by Henry Fountain

“The article is accurate in its descriptions of the physical and ecological processes that are behind permafrost changes. It also does a good job of getting across the nature of the work of actual scientists working in the field, what they are doing and why they are doing it.”

— 24 Aug 2017


New York Times story highlights the growing number of extremely hot days in a warming world

in The New York Times, by Brad Plumer & Nadja Popovich

“The study’s claims all appear to be based on sound, peer-reviewed research. The claims are in line with longstanding predictions and are not cherry-picked or unrepresentative, although there are uncertainties as always in any prediction.”

— 26 Jun 2017


CLAIM REVIEWS

The long-term survival of polar bears is threatened by loss of sea-ice due to global warming, new study confirms

CLAIM
"Global warming is driving polar bears toward extinction"

SOURCE: Henry Fountain, The New York Times

Published: 27 Jul 2020

VERDICT

Study evaluates natural and human causes of recent rapid warming rate at the South Pole

CLAIM
Surface air temperatures at the bottom of the world have risen three times faster than the global average since the 1990s.

SOURCE: Henry Fountain, The New York Times

Published: 06 Jul 2020

VERDICT

Sea level could rise by as much as 1 or 2 meters (3.3-6.6 feet) by the year 2100

CLAIM
Sea level rise could reach six or seven feet by the year 2100.

SOURCE: Justin Gillis, The New York Times

Published: 06 Sep 2016

VERDICT