Earlier this year, DeSmog revealed that a third of hosts on GB News spread climate denial, which you have probably seen on social media. If you haven't, think of Fox News, but with an aristocratic British accent and an even greater focus on anti-climate fossil fuel industry propaganda.
It turns out that GB News’ constant stream of climate denial is probably not a coincidence. This week, Sam Bright and Joey Grostern at DeSmog revealed that "one of the owners of GB News runs a hedge fund that has a major financial stake in more than 100 oil and gas firms."
Paul Marshall is a "lead investor" in GB News, "holding a 45 percent stake" and having "reportedly invested £10 million in GB News when it first launched two years ago." Marshall got that money from his role as "the chairman and chief investment officer of Marshall Wace, a London-based hedge fund that he co-founded in 1997," and that now "owns shares worth $2.2 billion (£1.8 billion) in fossil fuel firms." That includes $213 million in Chevron shares as well as shares in "Shell, Equinor, and 109 other fossil fuel companies."
John Nicolson, a member of the UK Parliament, told DeSmog that he's "always wondered why anyone would invest in comically inept, loss-making GB News.
“Step forward one major investor who makes bundles of cash from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a disturbing number of GB News presenters question climate science. I’m beginning to see a connection.”
Indeed! Bright and Grostern get into more details at DeSmog (go read it!), but now let's take a quick look at what GB News has been posting online about climate change.
For starters, there's a "heated debate over whether or not climate denial should be made illegal," which opens with GB News presenter Mark Dolan basically defending lying. Then there's a "clash on climate change" between a meteorologist and Lois Perry of the climate denial shop CAR26, who is famous for "hiding in the disabled loos" during COP26. Browsing all of GB News’ climate content on YouTube, the formula is pretty clear. A host "challenges" or "clashes" with a "climate change researcher," "meteorologist," or "advocate," "slams the UN" or "elites," and/or "questions the narrative" around "fear-mongering" climate "alarmism."
Our favorite type of content, though, is when they have climate activists on to call GB News presenter Jacob Rees-Mogg a liar.
And thanks to DeSmog, now we know why Rees-Mogg has apparently earned that reputation: his "news" program is just more fossil-fueled propaganda!