NASA admits mistake in blocking access to scientist

[The Straight Story]

NASA admits mistake in blocking access to scientist

By Beth Dickey
[e-mail]
NASA recently acknowledged it made a mistake in blocking news media access to its top climate scientist.

"An internal inquiry has revealed that one recent media request to interview Dr. James Hansen, of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was inappropriately declined," wrote Brian Chase, NASA's assistant administrator for legislative affairs, in June 6 letters to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.

Collins is the chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Lieberman is the ranking member. In the letter, Chase said preventing Hansen from being interviewed earlier this year was "contrary to NASA policy" and reiterated the agency's commitment to "fully and transparently communicate" with the public. He also said several allegations of inappropriate editing of scientific materials, if true, are "unacceptable."

Collins and Lieberman raised concerns about NASA's alleged censorship of scientific views in February, after media reports that Hansen, chief of the New York-based Goddard Institute, was muzzled because his opinions on global warming differ from those of the Bush administration.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=34307&dcn=todaysnews

[The Deacon]

1. Oops

[yorkiemommie1]

2. oh - uh huh.

n/t

[Trillo]

3. "fully and transparently communicate"

What dreams may come....