CBS News leans on reporting produced by outside climate change group

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CBS News has leaned on content from a climate change group produced by former network staffers. 

In recent weeks, CBS News has disclosed in both on-air and online reports its coordination with Climate Central, a nonprofit that calls itself a "policy-neutral" and "independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives." 

CBS News has cited Climate Central research dozens of times since 2021, according to Grabien transcripts. But it wasn't until July that the network began consistently referring to "our partners at Climate Central" on air. 

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CBS News has relied on content produced by climate change nonprofit Climate Central. (Getty Images)

Last month, CBS News published a story about melting glaciers that also aired on "Sunday Morning." Ben Tracy was the correspondent on the segment, with his byline at the top of the article. A disclaimer at the bottom read, "Story produced by Chris Spinder, in partnership with Climate Central. Editor: Chris Jolly."

Another CBS News article in July, also tied to an on-air segment with Tracy, included the disclaimer that the story was "produced in partnership with Climate Central."

Tracy and Spinder don't work for CBS News, at least not anymore. They work for Climate Central. Only Jolly is a current CBS News staffer, according to his LinkedIn page. 

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An article published on CBS News' website features Ben Tracy in the byline and discloses to readers that the report was "produced in partnership with Climate Central." (Screenshots/CBS News)

Climate Central's website promotes its "Partnership Journalism" program, which it says "contributes data, science and data reporting, editing and guidance to joint features coverage informed by new climate data" to other outlets.

"A partner outlet contributes local reporting, including field reporting, photography and some editing for a story. We contribute data and charts plus a science reporter and an editor," Climate Central states. "For a text story, we help craft a feature in a way that puts climate change in appropriate and accurate context. For broadcast media, we provide story and interview suggestions and help develop and review scripts. Climate Central’s researchers assist with fact-checking."

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Outlining how it gets credited, Climate Central says, "We share bylines with print partners and ask broadcast partners to mention our partnership in their coverage." It also says, "There is no charge to the authors or their institutions and the work is explanatory, not promotional."

Tracy, CBS News’ former senior national and environmental correspondent, left the network in September 2024. On his Instagram page, he now calls himself a "Climate Journalist on assignment for Climate Central." 

"For Climate Central, I'm Ben Tracy," he says to viewers at the end of his on-air reports.

Ben Tracy, a former CBS News correspondent who left the network last year, appeared on "CBS Mornings" in July leading a segment on behalf of Climate Central. (Screenshot/CBS News)

Spinder, a longtime producer for CBS News, left the network in May and immediately joined Climate Central as a senior producer, according to his LinkedIn page. 

"I produce network-quality, broadcast-standard feature news stories focusing on climate and environmental topics and distribute them to 200+ stations across the United States," Spinder writes on his Linkedin profile. "We operate in conjunction with the independent, nonprofit, non-partisan science-based platform Climate Central and adhere to the highest level of journalistic standards that we've practiced for decades working inside traditional network news operations including CBS Network News."

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Climate Central's site links to articles from local news outlets it has partnered with. Shari Bell, the group's vice president for content creation, told Fox News Digital that Climate Central "works with many news organizations." When asked which other national outlets have used its produced content, like CBS News, Bell cited The Weather Channel and Scripps News. 

Bell confirmed Tracy and Spinder began working for Climate Central earlier this year but refrained from elaborating on what goes into the editorial process in its collaboration with CBS News.

CBS News briefly disclosed to viewers that a report that aired during a July broadcast of "CBS Mornings" was "furnished by Climate Central." (Screenshot/CBS News)

Climate Central describes itself as a "nonadvocacy organization" that "communicates climate change science, effects, and solutions to the public and decision-makers." Among its stated values: "We advance no specific policy, legislation, or technology to address climate change. We are scrupulously non-advocacy and non-partisan." 

The organization emphasizes "equity," writing, "We are committed to investigating and communicating the unequal burdens of climate change and to engaging with affected communities," a sentiment echoed in its "Fairness statement."

"Climate change is an engine of inequity. Around the world, socially and economically disadvantaged groups that have barely contributed to the problem often face its gravest threats and impacts," the group states. "In turn, these impacts magnify the inequalities that precede them, as the most-affected populations commonly have the fewest resources to prepare, respond, or recover. In the United States, historically marginalized groups at special risk include Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities." 

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It adds, "Climate Central regularly highlights the fundamental inequities of climate change. We reaffirm our commitment to investigate and publicize the unequal burdens of climate change, and to increase our efforts in this area. We also reaffirm our commitment to engage with affected communities in developing and disseminating our materials, and to increase our efforts to feature experts from diverse backgrounds."

The website also includes a "Picturing Our Future" page featuring interactive split images showing world landmarks underwater if "we keep our current carbon path" towards global warming.

After Fox News Digital asked CBS News for comment, the network scrubbed the "partnership" language in its disclaimer from one of the articles, which now reads, "This story was provided by Climate Central," and also removed Tracy's byline. A spokesperson for CBS News declined to comment.

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