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Extracts from Ofcom Complaint, by Category: Misrepresentation of People’s Views

Extracts from Appendix D: Corporate-funded Organisations Linked to Contributors to the Programme

Organisation	Details
George C. Marshall Institute, or GMI www.marshall.org [Note: Contributors to the film who have links with the GMI: Dr Willie Soon Professor Richard Lindzen Dr Roy Spencer]	GMI lobbies on civic environmentalism, climate change and national defence, and has received $745,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998 (see ExxonSecrets: http://tinyurl.com/26xkau). [Note: The above amount was the total ExxonMobil donations figure received from ExxonSecrets researchers at the time that this complaint was submitted in June 2007. Subsequently, new data has been uploaded and data entry and programming errors have been corrected, causing the total figures for some organizations, including the GMI, to be somewhat overstated or understated in this complaint. For the accurate updated figures and links to Exxon source documents, see: http://tinyurl.com/26xkau [ExxonSecrets].] For a revealing look at the views of the GMI, see their May 2005 Policy Outlook at http://tinyurl.com/yw8blj (PDF).
Heartland Institute www.heartland.org [Note: Contributors to the film who have links with the Heartland Institute: Dr Willie Soon Professor Richard Lindzen Dr Roy Spencer]	The Heartland Institute is a libertarian lobby group, which, according to its web site is “a non-profit organization devoted to discovering and promoting free-market solutions to social and economic problems.” It claims to be fighting a war against “junk science” (see Google: http://tinyurl.com/28sjro), by which it appears to mean any scientific research into potentially harmful environmental or public health effects of corporate activities that does not set out to minimise the effects of such activities (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_science). It also promotes what it calls “common-sense environmentalism”, by which it appears to mean denial that there are any problems arising from passive smoking, and being anti-Kyoto and pro-GM. In this it is using the tactics pioneered by The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition. On its website it claims to be a “genuinely independent source of research and commentary”. However, the Heartland Institute has received $830,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998 (see ExxonSecrets: http://tinyurl.com/33hllf), as well as being funded by the tobacco companies Philip Morris and Brown & Williamson Tobacco, and by a wide range of libertarian and fossil fuel industry–funded foundations (see Center for Media and Democracy: http://tinyurl.com/23ho7n and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights: http://tinyurl.com/2nwnbh). [Note: The above amount was the total ExxonMobil donations figure received from ExxonSecrets researchers at the time that this complaint was submitted in June 2007. Subsequently, new data has been uploaded and data entry and programming errors have been corrected, causing the total figures for some organizations, including the Heartland Institute, to be somewhat overstated or understated in this complaint. For the accurate updated figures and links to Exxon source documents, see: http://tinyurl.com/33hllf [ExxonSecrets].]
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace www-hoover.stanford.edu [Note: Contributors to the film who have links with the Hoover Institution: Dr Frederick Singer]	A conservative think tank that campaigns against any regulation of greenhouse gasses, and which has received $295,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998 (see ExxonSecrets: http://tinyurl.com/3cwue9). [Note: The above figure was accurate when this complaint was submitted. For the up-to-date figure, see: http://tinyurl.com/3cwue9 [ExxonSecrets].]
Independent Institute www.independent.org [Note: Contributors to the film who have links with the Independent Institute: Dr Frederick Singer Professor John Christy]	A lobby group that has sponsored global warming critic Frederick Singer, and which has received $70,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998 (see ExxonSecrets: http://tinyurl.com/yuk854). [Note: The above figure was accurate when this complaint was submitted. For the up-to-date figure, see: http://tinyurl.com/yuk854 [ExxonSecrets].]

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George C. Marshall Institute / Heartland Institute / Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace / Independent Institute]


Page 43 of 50	Final Revision	Last updated: 11 Jun 2007