Phelim McAleer
Encyclopedia
Phelim McAleer is an Irish journalist and documentary filmmaker. He has written and produced Not Evil Just Wrong
and Mine Your Own Business
, as well as The Search for Tristan's Mom and Return to Sender. McAleer grew up in Northern Ireland
and is married to fellow documentary-maker and journalist Ann McElhinney
.
is a documentary film McAleer and his wife Ann McElhinney
directed and produced to challenge Al Gore
's An Inconvenient Truth
. It suggests that the evidence for global warming
is inconclusive, and that the impact global warming legislation will have on industry is much more harmful to humans than beneficial. The movie was filmed in 2008, and was screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and at the Right Online conference in 2009.
The film attempted to break a World Record
for the largest simultaneous premiere, which is currently held by The Age of Stupid
. Not Evil Just Wrong was endorsed by members of the Tea Party movement, and the film's website claims that there were 6,500 U.S. screenings and 1,500 foreign screenings that day that reached 400,000 people.
In 2010, the directors and the Independent Women's Forum
created a program, Balanced Education for Everyone (B.E.E.), that seeks to place Not Evil Just Wrong in schools, in an attempt to teach both sides of the climate debate.
is a documentary that looked at campaigns by foreign environmentalist
s against a large-scale mining project in Romania
. McAleer agreed to film the documentary, funded by the Canadian Mining Company featured in the movie, after the company guaranteed that he and wife would retain creative control over its content. McAleer said of his findings during the shoot:
When the documentary was reviewed by environmentalists it was compared to pornography and Nazi propaganda. McAleer later received two death threats because of the content of the documentary."
Eighty environmental organisations tried to have National Geographic cancel a screening at the organisation's headquarters in 2006.
In contrast, the left-wing The Guardian
newspaper described the documentary as a "a Michael Moore
-style documentary" that "casts the green movement as the influential villain of a worldwide campaign to block development and deny people the chance of jobs and a decent life."
two years later. It broadcast on RTÉ 1, the Irish state television station, in 2005.
This film was later selected to be screened at Input 2006, a showcase for programs from national public broadcasters, world-wide. It was selected by industry professionals and screened at Input 2006 in Taiwan
in May 2006.
operated. McAleer then moved to Northern Ireland's largest-selling daily, the Irish News, in Belfast
. There he covered the Northern Ireland troubles
and peace process, before becoming night editor.
McAleer has also written for The Economist
. Previously, from 1998 to 2000, he worked for the UK Sunday Times in its Dublin office. From 2000 to 2003 he was the Romania/Bulgaria Correspondent for the Financial Times
. It was this position that ultimately led him to filming documentaries.
donated $1 million to oppose California's Prop 23, which would have overturned AB 32
—California's climate change mitigation proposition. In response to this donation, McAleer and McElhinney made a short film alleging that passage of AB 32 would increase energy costs, and that Cameron, who'd been quoted as saying "we are going to have to live with less," in fact lived with more than do most Americans. The Independent declared that the film resonated with the public:
McAleer participated in two debates hosted by Lexus
, called the "Darker Side of Green." The first took place in New York City, and was hosted by Sarah Silverman
; the second debate was in Hollywood, where Andy Samberg
hosted.
In July, McAleer criticized the media's coverage of Stephen Schneider's
death, and suggested that journalists were ignoring his previous beliefs on global cooling and his refusal to answer questions about his change of opinion.
In May, Al Gore
became the third person in history to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Tennessee
. McAleer attended a protest of the ceremony, and proclaimed that the University was sending the wrong message by awarding Gore a doctorate when An Inconvenient Truth had been declared by an Irish Court to contain nine factual errors. Around 100 people attended the protest, including people from CFACT, the Knoxville Tea Party, and the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. During the protest, McAleer dressed up as a polar bear
, asking Gore to debate him; he also hired a plane to fly around the ceremony with a banner that read, "Mr. Gore, why are you sending jobs to China?"
McAleer attended the Copenhagen Climate Summit
in December 2009. While there he attended a press conference for Stanford Professor Stephen Schneider
regarding the leaked emails
from Climatic Research Unit
(CRU) center.
In Copenhagen McAleer filmed two videos. One, called Come fly with me, featured McAleer interviewing attendees to see how they had traveled to the conference. Most of them had arrived by plane, which McAleer maintained was hypocritical, given most environmentalists' stance on air travel as a harmful influence on the planet.
The other film was called Phil and me, and starred McAleer—dressed up as a polar bear and attempting to get an interview with Phil Jones, the director of the CRU. While McAleer was interviewing Neil Cavuto
about the project, an attendee at Copenhagen threw vegetables at him—and hit him on the head.
(SEJ) to interview Al Gore, once of his first in four years. He asked Gore about the 9 errors
found in An Inconvenient Truth and if he had any plans to correct them, since the film is still shown in schools. Gore replied:
McAleer countered that polar bear
numbers had actually increased. Shortly afterward, his microphone was turned off by members of the SEJ. The SEJ has maintained that McAleer's mic was cut off due to him exceeding his time limit. McAleer has publicly disagreed, saying it was censorship. "Environmental journalists unfortunately tend to be environmentalists rather than journalists," he added. "They have never found an environmental organization that's ever exaggerated, that's ever told a lie, and there is. ... I want environmental journalists to actually ask them difficult questions. It's not an awful request."
Earlier, McAleer attended the New York City premiere of The Age of Stupid, a documentary that focuses on the possible damage due to global warming, especially by commercial airlines. He asked several of the attendees how they got to the premiere
, with many answering that they had traveled by plane
. After asking this question of the director, Franny Armstrong
, McAleer was escorted from the press area. Later, McAleer told the Irish News that the film should have been called the "Age of Hypocrisy."
In July 2009, at a 2009-07-15 interview, Greenpeace
leader Gerd Leipold told BBC
reporter Stephen Sackur
on "HARDtalk
", that he did not believe the polar ice caps would melt by 2030. Leipold later defended his statement—and the organization's practice of "emotionalizing issues"--claiming that it was necessary to influence public opinion
. The film website of Not Evil Just Wrong broke the story on the web, condemning it as alarmist practice. Since the interview, Greenpeace has clarified its statement by suggesting that Leipold only meant "sea ice
" and asked its members to relay the message through social media. However, McAleer and McElhinney claimed that it is a ploy to astroturf
.
Not Evil Just Wrong
Not Evil Just Wrong is a documentary film by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer that challenges Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth by suggesting that the evidence of global warming is inconclusive and that the impact global-warming legislation will have on industry is much more harmful to humans than...
and Mine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own Business is a documentary directed and produced by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney in 2006 about the Roșia Montană mining project. The film asserts that environmentalists' opposition to the mine is unsympathetic to the needs and desires of the locals, prevents industrial progress,...
, as well as The Search for Tristan's Mom and Return to Sender. McAleer grew up in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and is married to fellow documentary-maker and journalist Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney is an Irish journalist and documentary filmmaker. She has written and produced the political documentaries Not Evil Just Wrong and Mine Your Own Business, as well as The Search for Tristan's Mum and Return to Sender...
.
Not Evil Just Wrong
Not Evil Just WrongNot Evil Just Wrong
Not Evil Just Wrong is a documentary film by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer that challenges Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth by suggesting that the evidence of global warming is inconclusive and that the impact global-warming legislation will have on industry is much more harmful to humans than...
is a documentary film McAleer and his wife Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney
Ann McElhinney is an Irish journalist and documentary filmmaker. She has written and produced the political documentaries Not Evil Just Wrong and Mine Your Own Business, as well as The Search for Tristan's Mum and Return to Sender...
directed and produced to challenge Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
. It suggests that the evidence for global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
is inconclusive, and that the impact global warming legislation will have on industry is much more harmful to humans than beneficial. The movie was filmed in 2008, and was screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and at the Right Online conference in 2009.
The film attempted to break a World Record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the largest simultaneous premiere, which is currently held by The Age of Stupid
The Age of Stupid
The Age of Stupid is a 2009 British film by Franny Armstrong, director of McLibel and Drowned Out, and founder of 10:10, and first-time producer Lizzie Gillett...
. Not Evil Just Wrong was endorsed by members of the Tea Party movement, and the film's website claims that there were 6,500 U.S. screenings and 1,500 foreign screenings that day that reached 400,000 people.
In 2010, the directors and the Independent Women's Forum
Independent Women's Forum
The Independent Women's Forum is an American conservative, non-profit, non-partisan research and educational institution focused on domestic and foreign policy issues of concern to women...
created a program, Balanced Education for Everyone (B.E.E.), that seeks to place Not Evil Just Wrong in schools, in an attempt to teach both sides of the climate debate.
Mine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own BusinessMine Your Own Business
Mine Your Own Business is a documentary directed and produced by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney in 2006 about the Roșia Montană mining project. The film asserts that environmentalists' opposition to the mine is unsympathetic to the needs and desires of the locals, prevents industrial progress,...
is a documentary that looked at campaigns by foreign environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s against a large-scale mining project in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. McAleer agreed to film the documentary, funded by the Canadian Mining Company featured in the movie, after the company guaranteed that he and wife would retain creative control over its content. McAleer said of his findings during the shoot:
It was surprising that environmentalists would lie, but the most shocking part was yet to come. As I spoke to the Western environmentalists, it quickly emerged that they wanted to stop the mine because they felt that development and prosperity will ruin the rural "idyllic" lifestyle of these happy peasants. This "lifestyle" includes 70-percent unemployment, two-thirds of the people having no running water and using an outhouse in winters where the temperature can plummet to 20 degrees below zero centigrade.
When the documentary was reviewed by environmentalists it was compared to pornography and Nazi propaganda. McAleer later received two death threats because of the content of the documentary."
Eighty environmental organisations tried to have National Geographic cancel a screening at the organisation's headquarters in 2006.
In contrast, the left-wing The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper described the documentary as a "a Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
-style documentary" that "casts the green movement as the influential villain of a worldwide campaign to block development and deny people the chance of jobs and a decent life."
The Search for Tristan's Mum
McAleer wrote and produced "The Search for Tristan's Mum," which highlighted the case of a toddler Tristan Dowse, who was adopted by an Irish couple at birth and then abandoned in an Indonesian orphanageOrphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
two years later. It broadcast on RTÉ 1, the Irish state television station, in 2005.
This film was later selected to be screened at Input 2006, a showcase for programs from national public broadcasters, world-wide. It was selected by industry professionals and screened at Input 2006 in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in May 2006.
Journalism
McAleer, a former student of the NCTJ course at the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, began his journalism career by accepting a position at the Crossmaglen Examiner a local Northern Ireland newspaper in Co. Armagh, an area where the IRAIrish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
operated. McAleer then moved to Northern Ireland's largest-selling daily, the Irish News, in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. There he covered the Northern Ireland troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
and peace process, before becoming night editor.
McAleer has also written for The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. Previously, from 1998 to 2000, he worked for the UK Sunday Times in its Dublin office. From 2000 to 2003 he was the Romania/Bulgaria Correspondent for the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. It was this position that ultimately led him to filming documentaries.
2010
In October 2010, film director James CameronJames Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
donated $1 million to oppose California's Prop 23, which would have overturned AB 32
Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill 32, is a California State Law that fights climate change by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state...
—California's climate change mitigation proposition. In response to this donation, McAleer and McElhinney made a short film alleging that passage of AB 32 would increase energy costs, and that Cameron, who'd been quoted as saying "we are going to have to live with less," in fact lived with more than do most Americans. The Independent declared that the film resonated with the public:
McAleer participated in two debates hosted by Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
, called the "Darker Side of Green." The first took place in New York City, and was hosted by Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
; the second debate was in Hollywood, where Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
David Andrew "Andy" Samberg is an American actor, comedian, rapper and writer best known as a member of the comedy group The Lonely Island and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live...
hosted.
In July, McAleer criticized the media's coverage of Stephen Schneider's
Stephen Schneider
Stephen Henry Schneider was Professor of Environmental Biology and Global Change at Stanford University, a Co-Director at the Center for Environment Science and Policy of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a Senior Fellow in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment...
death, and suggested that journalists were ignoring his previous beliefs on global cooling and his refusal to answer questions about his change of opinion.
In May, Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
became the third person in history to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. McAleer attended a protest of the ceremony, and proclaimed that the University was sending the wrong message by awarding Gore a doctorate when An Inconvenient Truth had been declared by an Irish Court to contain nine factual errors. Around 100 people attended the protest, including people from CFACT, the Knoxville Tea Party, and the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. During the protest, McAleer dressed up as a polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
, asking Gore to debate him; he also hired a plane to fly around the ceremony with a banner that read, "Mr. Gore, why are you sending jobs to China?"
McAleer attended the Copenhagen Climate Summit
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
in December 2009. While there he attended a press conference for Stanford Professor Stephen Schneider
Stephen Schneider
Stephen Henry Schneider was Professor of Environmental Biology and Global Change at Stanford University, a Co-Director at the Center for Environment Science and Policy of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a Senior Fellow in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment...
regarding the leaked emails
Climatic Research Unit email controversy
The Climatic Research Unit email controversy began in November 2009 with the hacking of a server at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia...
from Climatic Research Unit
Climatic Research Unit
The Climatic Research Unit is a component of the University of East Anglia and is one of the leading institutions concerned with the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change....
(CRU) center.
In Copenhagen McAleer filmed two videos. One, called Come fly with me, featured McAleer interviewing attendees to see how they had traveled to the conference. Most of them had arrived by plane, which McAleer maintained was hypocritical, given most environmentalists' stance on air travel as a harmful influence on the planet.
The other film was called Phil and me, and starred McAleer—dressed up as a polar bear and attempting to get an interview with Phil Jones, the director of the CRU. While McAleer was interviewing Neil Cavuto
Neil Cavuto
Neil Patrick Cavuto is an American television anchor and commentator on the Fox Business Network and host of three television programs, Your World with Neil Cavuto and Cavuto on Business, both on the Fox News Channel and Cavuto on sister channel Fox Business Network.Cavuto also tapes a nightly...
about the project, an attendee at Copenhagen threw vegetables at him—and hit him on the head.
2009
McAleer attended a press conference held by the Society of Environmental JournalistsSociety of Environmental Journalists
The Society of Environmental Journalists is a non-profit created by and for journalists who report environmental topics in the news media. The mission of the Society of Environmental Journalists is to strengthen the quality, reach and viability of journalism across all media to advance public...
(SEJ) to interview Al Gore, once of his first in four years. He asked Gore about the 9 errors
Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Dimmock v Secretary of State for Education and Skills was a case heard in September–October 2007 in the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, concerning the permissibility of the government providing Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth to English state schools as a teaching aid...
found in An Inconvenient Truth and if he had any plans to correct them, since the film is still shown in schools. Gore replied:
Well, I'm not going to go through all of those. The ruling was in favor of the movie by the way and the ruling was in favor of showing the movie in schools. And that's really the bottom line on that. There's been such a long discussion of each one of those specific things. One of them, for example, was that polar bears if I remember correctly, it's been a long time ago, that polar bears really aren't endangered. Well, polar bears didn't get that word.
McAleer countered that polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
numbers had actually increased. Shortly afterward, his microphone was turned off by members of the SEJ. The SEJ has maintained that McAleer's mic was cut off due to him exceeding his time limit. McAleer has publicly disagreed, saying it was censorship. "Environmental journalists unfortunately tend to be environmentalists rather than journalists," he added. "They have never found an environmental organization that's ever exaggerated, that's ever told a lie, and there is. ... I want environmental journalists to actually ask them difficult questions. It's not an awful request."
Earlier, McAleer attended the New York City premiere of The Age of Stupid, a documentary that focuses on the possible damage due to global warming, especially by commercial airlines. He asked several of the attendees how they got to the premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
, with many answering that they had traveled by plane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
. After asking this question of the director, Franny Armstrong
Franny Armstrong
Franny Armstrong is a British documentary film director working for her own company, Spanner Films, and a former drummer with indie pop group The Band of Holy Joy...
, McAleer was escorted from the press area. Later, McAleer told the Irish News that the film should have been called the "Age of Hypocrisy."
In July 2009, at a 2009-07-15 interview, Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
leader Gerd Leipold told BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reporter Stephen Sackur
Stephen Sackur
Stephen John Sackur is a BBC journalist who presents HARDtalk, a current affairs interview programme on BBC World News and BBC News 24. He is also the main Friday presenter of GMT on BBC World News...
on "HARDtalk
HARDtalk
Hardtalk is a flagship BBC television programme, consisting of in-depth half-hour one-on-one interviews.It is broadcast four days a week on BBC World News and the BBC News channel. Launched in 1997, much of its worldwide fame is due to its global reach via BBC World...
", that he did not believe the polar ice caps would melt by 2030. Leipold later defended his statement—and the organization's practice of "emotionalizing issues"--claiming that it was necessary to influence public opinion
Public opinion
Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....
. The film website of Not Evil Just Wrong broke the story on the web, condemning it as alarmist practice. Since the interview, Greenpeace has clarified its statement by suggesting that Leipold only meant "sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
" and asked its members to relay the message through social media. However, McAleer and McElhinney claimed that it is a ploy to astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
.