Associated Press stops using climate “skeptic” and “denier”

Science : On Tuesday, the Associated Press (AP) announced that its official style guide for journalists would no longer refer to people who question the scientific consensus on climate change as “skeptics” or “deniers.” Instead, it recommends using the phrases “climate change doubters” and “those who reject mainstream climate science.” The change in wording, which was included in the AP’s expansion of its entry on global warming in the 2015 edition of the AP Stylebook, may have been prompted by a December 2014 open letter in which dozens of scientists and science advocates criticized the media for using “skepticism” and “denial” interchangeably. The new wording has been questioned by some climate change activists who say that “doubter” doesn’t accurately describe the rejection of the science and that the longer version is simply too wordy to be readily used.