Maurice Newman doesn't let the facts stand in the way of a good story

Maurice Newman - avoiding the facts.

An oft-made jibe about journalism is that the facts should never be allowed to stand in the way of a good story.

Now it seems the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council, Maurice Newman, has taken that to heart.

In a December 31 opinion piece in The Australian, Mr Newman illustrated his ignorance, wilful or otherwise, of the essential and critical facts of climate change.

His interpretation of the facts has been described as “flat-earth” thinking in a story published in the Age headed: “Maurice Newman’s flat-earth thinking ignores climate change facts”.

One who questions the legitimacy of what Mr Newman has said is the Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Melbourne, Prof David Karoly, who has spoken in Shepparton and is a Beneath the Wisteria supporter.