"Columbia Disputes Exxon Mobil on Climate Risk Articles"

"The dean of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism published a letter on Tuesday strongly disputing accusations by Exxon Mobil that journalists from the school had produced inaccurate and misleading articles about the company’s knowledge of the risks of climate change.

The school had collaborated with The Los Angeles Times and foundations including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund on two articles published in October that examined “the gap between Exxon Mobil’s public position and its internal planning on the issue of climate change.” The articles had helped add momentum to an investigation by the New York attorney general into the matter. And in the days and weeks following publication, the company was subject to criticism from politicians like John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.

Late last month, the company wrote a detailed, six-page letter to Columbia’s president, Lee C. Bollinger, calling the two lengthy investigative reports “inaccurate and deliberately misleading.”

In his response, Steve Coll, the dean of the journalism school, said that he had carefully examined the detailed allegations made by Exxon Mobil."

Ravi Somaiya reports for the New York Times December 1, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Exxon Mobil Screwed Up Its Attack On Columbia For Climate Reports" (Huffington Post)

"More Exxon Documents Show How Much It Knew About Climate 35 Years Ago" (InsideClimate News)

Letter of December 1, 2015, from Steve Coll to Kenneth Cohen (Columbia Journalism School)

"Kerry: Exxon Could Lose 'Billions' in Climate Change Lawsuit" (The Hill)

"ExxonMobil, Columbia University Clash Over Student Journalists' Reports" (NPR)