The media never understands this sort of thing. Science has been relatively consistent. The media’s portrayal of research has not.
Check out the wikipedia article on the subject:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling
especially:
1974 and 1972 National Science Board
The Washington Post reports that in 1974 the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation, stated:[15]
During the last 20 to 30 years, world temperature has fallen, irregularly at first but more sharply over the last decade.
This statement is correct (see Historical temperature record) although the Washington Post quotes it with disapproval. The Post says the Board had observed two years earlier:
Judging from the record of the past interglacial ages, the present time of high temperatures should be drawing to an end . . . leading into the next glacial age.
This quote is taken quite out of context, however, and is misleading as it stands. A more complete quote is:
Judging from the record of the past interglacial ages, the present time of high temperatures should be drawing to an end ... leading into the next glacial age. However, it is possible, or even likely, than human interference has already altered the environment so much that the climatic pattern of the near future will follow a different path. . .
So what you're saying is that the Washington Post was hedging its bets back in the days when global cooling/new Ice Age was all the rage. Maybe the Post should adopt a similarly neutral stance today, just in case we don't all burn up in ten years.