Poor Journalism by Fox News on Rossi Story

On Nov. 2, John Brandon published a story on Andrea Rossi and his claim of an “energy catalyzer” on Fox News.

I will address a few issues and obvious factual errors.

Rossi is not a physicist. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1973 in the philosophy of science and engineering from the University of Milan’s School of Philosophy.

In 1979, Rossi obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Kensington, in California. That university was determined to be a diploma mill and was shut down by officials in California and Hawaii, according to CBS News.

Rossi did not demonstrate his device at the University of Bologna. All of his demonstrations have taken place at an empty industrial suite behind a tire repair shop in Bologna.

Brandon obtained a lot of his information from Sterling Allan. Brandon writes that Allan is the CEO of an “alternative energy news agency.” Allan is the “CEO” of a free energy Web site. Allan, a self-proclaimed “Ambassador of Jesus Christ: First and Second comings,” also believed a prophecy in the Bible Code that he should run for president of the United States.

Brandon quoted Allan’s claim that Rossi claimed he generated a 470 kilowatt energy output. But Brandon neglected to mention the 400 kilowatt generator outside the building connected to and used to “pre-heat” Rossi’s device.

Brandon used a two-year old quote from Pamela Mosier-Boss, a researcher at the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego, from an entirely different experiment that gives the appearance she is supporting Rossi’s claim.

Brandon wrote that Rossi told him that researcher Paul Swanson with SPAWAR San Diego could vouch for Rossi’s demonstration. Brandon spoke with Swanson. He couldn’t.

Brandon speculated, based on what he read on Allan’s blog, that SPAWAR San Diego was Rossi’s mysterious customer and that they measured and verified Rossi’s test.

I asked James Fallin, the director of public affairs at SPAWAR San Diego, “is there any truth to the suggestion published on Fox News that SPAWAR is, or is considering purchasing any device from Andrea Rossi?”

“No truth at all,” Fallin wrote.