That site will get no hits from me.
Anyway, That fraud at Penn State, Michael Mann, was "cleared" by - - Penn State! IIRC, Mann still faces futher investigations. Sharon Begley wrote this silly piece, which naturally was enthusiastically published by a Democrat party organ, like a child who was just offered proof that there is no Santa Claus. She may as well scrunch her eyes shut, clamp her hands over her ears, and chant "lalalalalalalalala...."
The Virginia attorney general is investigating whether or not Mann violated Virginia’s “Fraud Against Taxpayers Act” when he used state money to conduct research at the University of Virginia before leaving the school in 2005. The AG has requested emails, files and other documents from the University of Virginia (a public university) related to Dr. Mann’s research. The University is resisting the investigation and has hired outside private counsel to evaluate its options to resist the subpoena issued by the attorney general. Ostensibly the concern is academic freedom.
Here we have a public institution using state money to support research by its professors. The professor may or may not have violated a statute. It would seem to me if the Professor was not in violation of the statute, the University would have no issue with turning over the files. After all the research was funded with public dollars. Certainly the public has the right to review the documents.
I fail to understand the concept of academic freedom somehow being violated if all of the files, letters, emails and other documents are exposed to the sunshine of public scrutiny. If the research methodology is valid, why would the academics not welcome the review?