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A University of Pennsylvania professor who was sanctioned by a court for acting in \u201cbad faith\u201d is set to teach a course on \u201cmisinformation\u201d next year.<\/span><\/p>\n Michael Mann, a prominent climate activist and director of Penn\u2019s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, announced that he will again co-teach a course on climate change communication alongside Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The course, previously offered at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses in part on combating what Mann describes as a \u201csurplus of misinformation\u201d surrounding climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe problem isn\u2019t so much a deficit of information; it\u2019s a surplus of misinformation,\u201d Mann said at a journalism conference, arguing that outright climate denial is fading and being replaced by what he calls \u201cdoomism, division, deflection, and delaying action.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mann recently confirmed the course\u2019s return on a university podcast, describing it as a \u201creal pleasure\u201d to collaborate across Penn\u2019s School of Arts and Sciences and the Annenberg School for Communication.<\/span><\/p>\n But Mann\u2019s role as an authority on misinformation should draw scrutiny given his own legal history. A District of Columbia judge previously sanctioned Mann and his legal team, finding \u201cby clear and convincing evidence\u201d that they had acted in bad faith by presenting erroneous evidence and making false representations related to damages claims.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHere, the Court finds\u2026 that Dr. Mann\u2026 acted in bad faith when they presented erroneous evidence and made false representations to the jury and the Court,\u201d the <\/span>ruling stated<\/span><\/a>. The court ordered Mann to pay more than $28,000 in legal fees. The controversy adds to a broader pattern of inflammatory rhetoric and political activism from Mann, who has repeatedly targeted conservatives in public statements and on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n Mann has compared prominent figures such as Peter Thiel, Charles Koch, and Rupert Murdoch to the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, and previously wrote that the Republican Party should be \u201cdestroyed.\u201d He deleted the posts, but they were saved in screenshots.<\/span><\/p>\n Michael Mann has been trafficking in violence-justifying (wink wink) Tweets for a long time<\/p>\n He is celebrated and rewarded for it in the climate community<\/p>\n His latest won\u2019t change that pic.twitter.com\/YMpnmxAdWX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Honest Broker (@RogerPielkeJr) September 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As reported by the <\/span>Washington Free Beacon<\/span><\/a>, Mann faced backlash for amplifying a social media post referring to conservative activist Charlie Kirk as \u201cHitler Youth,\u201d a controversy that preceded his resignation as vice provost at Penn. He remains on faculty and continues to lead his research center.<\/span><\/p>\n The resignation came after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) <\/span>called on the university<\/span><\/a> to take \u201cimmediate, decisive action.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Mann has also drawn criticism for comments interpreted as invoking political violence, including a post referencing \u201csecond amendment territory\u201d in relation to President Donald Trump, he has since deleted the post, but it was <\/span>digitally archived<\/span><\/a> to verify.<\/span><\/p>\n The course\u2019s co-instructor, Jamieson, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which has itself <\/span>faced scrutiny<\/span><\/a> over its handling of climate-related materials. Critics have pointed to the academy\u2019s refusal to remove a controversial climate chapter from its judicial reference manual, even after the Federal Judicial Center declined to include it, citing concerns about bias.<\/span><\/p>\n\n