News Corp-owned The Australian newspaper has announced that it will shut down the Climate Spectator website, just days before the crucial UN climate conference in Paris kicks off.

The site, part of News Corp Australia’s portfolio since it acquired Australian Independent Business Media in 2012, was shut down as “News Corp Australia continues to re-position and rebalance its organisation to meet the changing behaviour of its audience and advertisers,” the company said in a statement.

The Climate Spectator under editor Tristan Edis has been a fierce critic of the Coalition government’s Direct Action Plan, even as the vast majority of the Murdoch-owned press in Australia has cast doubt over climate change science, and backed former prime minister Tony Abbott’s anti-carbon tax campaign in the run-up to the previous election.

“Thankfully there are a number of journalists and other capable commentators from industry and academia out there in other publications helping us all to understand what is going on in the fields of climate science, carbon abatement and clean energy,” Edis said in a farewell note.

By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com

Not yet signed up to CP Daily? Subscribe to our free newsletter here