CBC‘s news magazine show the fifth estate slammed Dr. S. Fred Singer and company out of the park last evening with the “Denial Machine”, a 40-minute documentary that gave context to the current climate change debate. Reporter Bob McKeown walked the well-trodden path connecting big tobacco to a group of unsavory scientists and fake grassroots organizations that the cigarette companies hired to deny the link between tobacco and cancer.

Now those organizations and scientists – and Singer is a perfect poster boy – have turned to taking money from ExxonMobil and other energy companies in return for denying the human causes or likely effects of climate change.

Much of the show goes over ground that will be familiar to frequent DeSmog readers, but it was particularly interesting watching a smirking Singer talk about the utter contentedness with which he cashed the last big cheque from ExxonMobil – even as he claimed ignorance of some of the other income he has enjoyed as a denier for hire. (“I don’t remember.”) If anyone still believed the man had conscience (anyone else, I mean), that bit of television pretty much removed all doubt.

Follow the link. You can watch it on line.