Advertorials that stress uncertainty

Public

ExxonMobil · 1989-2004

NYT advertorial series

“Advertorials told readers the science was uncertain, that climate models were unreliable, and that mandatory cuts could wreck the economy.”

Private

Exxon and Mobil scientists and planners · 1977-2003

Internal research files

“Internal documents from the same decades treat anthropogenic warming as a serious, likely, and operationally relevant fact.”

This is preference falsification as a product line. The scientists were allowed a private climate. The public was sold a debate.

The tell · Count the modal verbs. Internals say will and is. Ads say could and if.

How this became public: Advertorials are public; internals surfaced via journalism and archives.