(CNN) A government report on the human impact of climate change that was long scheduled for release in December is now scheduled for release on Friday -- prompting speculation that it is being buried on a day when few people will be paying attention.

It's unclear why the date was moved up. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the Friday afternoon release on Wednesday -- the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Among journalists and public relations experts, releasing information on Friday afternoon -- not to mention Black Friday -- or around a holiday is widely seen as a way to cushion the impact of critical news. The idea is that fewer people pay attention to news releases on the weekend, and by Monday, the news is old.

Spokespeople for NOAA and the Commerce Department did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday afternoon.

The report is the second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. The first volume, released last November, focused on climate science and concluded there is "no convincing alternative explanation" for the changing climate other than "human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases."

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