[Note- This comment received by email from Andy Revkin, in response to a "heads up" from me, is posted with his permission (granted in a subsequent email to the one below). It is a response to my critique of his story in yesterday's NYT - RP]

“Actually I kind of like it!

You do realize, though, that the norms of journalism still require me to cover something like this, right?

Sadly, the White House is so hermetically sealed on such matters that it has essentially created such stories by making scraps of tea-leaf-like information noteworthy.

Piltz is far less significant than the documents themselves. And while the edits are subtle, as I explained, they create a different tone than the one that was there before. And tone does matter in policy debates, doesn’t it?

Also, i interviewed some members of the NRC review panel and they were none too happy to see how the report they assessed was ‘pre-spun’ to heighten uncertainties. even the most careful reviewer would be apt to read thru some of these changes and never realize the overall pattern created in the document.

Every White House edits reports. No brainer. But shouldn’t the characterization of the state of science be assessed by those in the White House with scientific background, i.e, OSTP? Why an ex-oil lobbyist with an economics bachelor’s degree?

As for Our Changing Planet 2004-5, same deal. This admin, whether by inattention or on purpose, can’t seem to get its story straight on the science of climate change, in part, perhaps, because it’s petrified of crossing that next bar and accepting there is a human influence (even though you seem to think they’d have more strategies to fall back on to avoid co2 curbs).

I might consider letting you post this.”