Dan Gainor

Credentials

• M.B.A., University of Maryland.¹“Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• M.A. Publications Design, University of Maryland.²“Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• B.S. Political Science and History University of Maryland, Baltimore.³“Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.

Background

Dan Gainor is the Director of the Business & Media Institute, a free market think tank operating under another organization called the Media Research Center which also operates Newsbusters, a site where right-wing media question the existence of man-made global warming.

BMI describes its mission as “[auditing] the media’s coverage of the free enterprise system.”⁴“About the Business and Media Institute.” Accessed December 4, 2011.

Gainor’s background is as an editor, having served at several newspapers including The Washington Times and The Baltimore News-American. He was also managing editor for CQ.com, the web site of Congressional Quarterly, and executive editor for ChangeWave, published by Phillips International. He has worked in financial publishing in his last two positions, launching new services for ChangeWave and Agora Inc.

He volunteers as a media and issues speaker with the Close-Up Foundation. Gainor has appeared on numerous right-wing radio and television programs including Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes” and “Fox & Friends.”⁵“BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.

Stance on Climate Change

“Scientists who dare question the almost religious belief in climate change, and yes, they do exist, are ignored or undermined in news reports as are policy makers and pundits who take similar views.”⁶Dan Gainor. “Media Far From Objective on Climate Change,” Human Events, July 12, 2006.

Key Quotes

“While Al Qaeda and eco-nuts use different tactics, they share a similar enemy: civilization.”⁷“Eco-Nuts Out to Destroy Life As We Know It,” FoxNews.com, October 27, 2009.

“But the truth is, scientists on both sides of the global warming debate agree that the ice cap isn’t in ‘peril.’ As Myron Ebell, director of global warming and international environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute said, the Arctic is experiencing ‘natural cycles of warming and cooling.’”⁸“North Pole in ‘Peril’”, NewsBusters, September 30, 2005.

Comments Surrounding 2021 Capitol Insurrection

Dan Gainor was among dozens of the individuals and organizations profiled in DeSmog’s Disinformation Database who posted online or gave interviews about the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Some posted claims of election fraud, similar to those that drove the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6. Some circulated dubious information about the insurrection itself. DeSmog has preserved a selection of notable posts related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, including some that were later deleted or removed.

Gainor posted extensively on social media about the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. A handful of those posts, including at least one that has since been deleted, are collected here.

Gainor retweeted the following:

Gainor also retweeted the following message from Jack Posobiec (described by ABC News as “an alt-right activist… who has pushed the false ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy theory, which accused Hillary Clinton loyalists of running a child sex-trafficking operation out of a Washington, D.C. pizza shop.”) Note that this re-tweet is no longer available, as of February 2021:⁹Karma Allen. “Trump retweets alt-right activist who pushed ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy,” ABC News, August 15, 2017. Archived February 12, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/bAQPh

Key Deeds

February 20, 2010

Gainor spoke at CPAC where according to Media Matters, he “rehashes debunked climate change smears to ‘put’ climate change movement ‘in their place’.”¹⁰“MRC’s Gainor rehashes debunked climate change smears to ‘put’ climate change movement ‘in their place’”, Media Matters, February 20, 2010.

March 2–4, 2008 

Gainor was the moderator of a panel at the Heartland Institute‘s first International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1.) He moderated a Business & Media Institute Roundtable Panel titled “Global Warming Censored” with Pat Michaels, Marc Morano and Chris Horner.¹¹“First International Conference on Climate Change, Program” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived March 12, 2018.

March 2008

Gainor went on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” to promote the Heartland Institute‘s International Conference on Climate Change in New York, which he said “proves that the consensus theory that Al Gore’s been pushing, that the mainstream media have been pushing for years – it’s all bogus.”¹²“Fox & Friends promotes global warming deniers’ conference,” The Raw Story, March 3, 2008.”

December 6, 2006

Testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the topic of “The Media Climate on Global Warming” (PDF).

Gainor opened his testimony, saying “We’re here to discuss the media coverage of the climate change debate. But there’s only one problem, there is almost none of that debate actually in the media.”

DeSmog covered Gainor’s testimony and provided refutation here.

Affiliations

• Business and Media Institute (BMI) — “Vice President of Business & Culture for the MRC.”¹³“BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• NewsBusters — Blogger.
• The Heartland Institute — “Heartland Expert.”¹⁴“Heartland Experts: Dan Gainor,” The Heartland Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.

Social Media

• @dangainor on Twitter.

Publications

Gainor has not published any articles in peer reviewed journals, as he does not appear to have experience in any scientific field.

Gainor has published his views in numerous newspapers including Investor’s Business Daily, The Washington Times, the Orange County Register, the New York Post, the Baltimore Examiner, Canada’s National Post’s Financial Post & FP Investing, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Augusta Free Press, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette, the Port Clinton, Ohio Beacon, Contacto Magazine, the Caribbean Voice, the Newtown Bee, the Frederick News-Post, The High Point Enterprise, the Easton Star Democrat, the Midland Daily News, the Findlay, OH, Courier, and the Simi Valley, Calif., Acorn.¹⁵“BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.

Gainor has a blog at Newsbusters and a full list of his posts at Newsbusters is available here.

Other Resources

Resources

• 1
  “Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 2
  “Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 3
  “Dan Gainor,” NNDB Profile. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 4
  “About the Business and Media Institute.” Accessed December 4, 2011.
• 5
  “BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 6
  Dan Gainor. “Media Far From Objective on Climate Change,” Human Events, July 12, 2006.
• 7
  “Eco-Nuts Out to Destroy Life As We Know It,” FoxNews.com, October 27, 2009.
• 8
  “North Pole in ‘Peril’”, NewsBusters, September 30, 2005.
• 9
  Karma Allen. “Trump retweets alt-right activist who pushed ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy,” ABC News, August 15, 2017. Archived February 12, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/bAQPh
• 10
  “MRC’s Gainor rehashes debunked climate change smears to ‘put’ climate change movement ‘in their place’”, Media Matters, February 20, 2010.
• 11
  “First International Conference on Climate Change, Program” (PDF) Heartland Institute. Archived March 12, 2018.
• 12
  “Fox & Friends promotes global warming deniers’ conference,” The Raw Story, March 3, 2008.”
• 13
  “BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 14
  “Heartland Experts: Dan Gainor,” The Heartland Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.
• 15
  “BMI Staff Listing,” Business & Media Institute. Accessed December 14, 2011.