Was 'Hottest Year on Record' Based on Phony Data?

Was 'Hottest Year on Record' Based on Phony Data?
NewsBusters ^ | January 8, 2013 | P.J. Gladnick

Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.

So declared The New York Times in an article almost dripping with self-righteous jubilation. This sentiment was also echoed at the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Reuters, and many other media outlets. But could they all end up eating globally warmed crow?

According to Anthony Watts of Watts Up With That? that is exactly what they might be forced to do. The source upon which this "Hottest Ever" story is based is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). According to Watts' intensive research, it appears that the NCDC has been keeping two sets of data: one for public (and gullible MSM) consumption and the other the actual stats. Here is what Watts discovered:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/pj-gladnick/2013/01/08/was-hottest-year-record-based-phony-data