David Attenborough Tacitly Admits his Film’s Deception

photo credit: dsmobserver.org

Sir David Attenborough finds himself at the center of another scandal over deceptive filmmaking.

Back in the spring, he was accused of deceiving viewers when he claimed, in his Netflix show Our Planet, that walruses were falling off Siberian clifftops as a result of climate change.

This was shown to be untrue by Canadian biologist and mammal expert Dr. Susan Crockford, who described the abundant scientific literature, dating back many decades, showing that walruses have always taken to the land, and even fallen from clifftops.

She also pointed out that the footage Attenborough used to make his case seemed to have come from a well-documented incident when walruses had been driven over cliffs by polar bears.

Yesterday, in his new BBC documentary Seven Worlds, One Planet, Attenborough again showed falling walruses, but this time making it quite clear that polar bears were driving them off the cliff.

Remarkably, however, the footage he used appears to be from the same incident and shot by the same cameraman as shown in his Netflix documentary, despite the producers’ claims at the time that no bears had been in the vicinity.

Attenborough, therefore, seems to be tacitly admitting that the claims he made in the Netflix film, and the denials issued by the show’s camera team and producers, were untrue.

GWPF director Dr. Benny Peiser welcomed Attenborough’s climb-down.

“We can only be pleased that Sir David has stepped back from the deceptive claims he made in his Netflix show.

He and the producers should apologize for the trick they pulled and withdraw the Netflix film that has badly misled and unnecessarily traumatized millions of people and news media around the world”.


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Comments (5)

  • Avatar

    Andy Rowlands

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    Either Attenborough has been totally taken in by the alarmist nonsense, or he is a willing participant. I rather suspect the latter.

    Reply

    • Avatar

      Matt

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      Hi Andy.
      You are correct
      Noble cause corruption.
      You get ’em.
      Matt.

      Reply

      • Avatar

        jerry krause

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        Hi Matt,

        This comment maybe has nothing to due with this case but is related to mistakes that notable scientists have innocently made. Some time in the past you had informed me that you would study my essays about the blunder that Richard Feynman made in the first lecture of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Which you have not yet done so. I really would like to read any comments you would have.

        (http://principia-scientific.org/feynmans-blunder-part-1/) and (http://principia-scientific.org/feynmans-blunder-part-2/)

        Have a good day, Jerry

        Reply

      • Avatar

        Andy Rowlands

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        Thanks Matt, people like Hansen, Mann & Schmidt have totally corrupted climate science, that’s why people like us need to share skeptical information, especially when alarmist propaganda is debunked, as widely as possible.

        Reply

  • Avatar

    tom0mason

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    “GWPF director Dr. Benny Peiser welcomed Attenborough’s climb-down.

    “We can only be pleased that Sir David has stepped back from the deceptive claims he made in his Netflix show.

    Maybe Addledborough (or his minders) can admit that they have been propagandizing nothing more ‘climate alarm’ for the last 20+ years. He’s productions use techniques that Leni Riefenstahl would recognize, and probably would have admired.

    Reply

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