Ed Achorn, Union of Concerned Scientists debate ProJo editorial

Providence Journal editorial page writer Ed Achorn is well-known in Rhode Island for stretching – and sometimes abusing – the truth in order to make a point. He sometimes defends his misstatements by labeling critiques as assaults on the First Amendment, but more often he ignores critics altogether.

But he didn’t ignore Aaron Huertas on Twitter recently. Huertas is a communications officer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group that organizes scientists to come up with solutions to climate change. He took Achorn to task because a Providence Journal editorial misrepresented a recent Washington Post op/ed by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse that said fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for lying about their product’s harm to the planet.

Since Achorn so infrequently defends the Journal’s seemingly unscrupulous editorials, I’ve collected the Twitter exchange between the two here.

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609048776339288064

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609083926733303809

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609102514479316993

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609104383868059648

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609113052500381697

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609370346827968512

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609376008093962240

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609386052655149056

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609399842260000768

https://twitter.com/aaronhuertas/status/609386565731794944

Achorn eventually decided to ignore Huertas. But he didn’t seem to stop tweeting about the issue….

"All Ministers … who were Oppressors, or intended to be Oppressors, have been loud in their Complaints against Freedom of Speech." — "Cato"

— Ed Achorn (@Ed_Achorn) June 12, 2015

…Yeah, because the fossil fuel companies are being oppressed if they can’t lie about the product they sell…