What if the Press Covered the Public School System in the US the Way it Covers the Catholic Church?

Flopping Aces ^ | 03-25-13 | Brother Bob

[Starman417]

Unless you're living in a cave, by now you probably heard that we have a new Pope. Personally, I'm glad he arrived for no other reason than we no longer have the continuous coverage filling the news cycle. Yes, I understand the importance of the event, but I don't think that it needed to dominate the news as it did. Hopefully there were no aliens (sorry, undocumented Americans) from outer space monitoring our airwaves, because if there were they are probably wondering why the Catholic Church is allowed to exist. From my informal, completely unscientific observations, had I known nothing of the church I would have thought that it's reasons for existence are to promote sexual abuse of children, malice toward gays and repression of women. Apparently it wasn't just me - The The Media Research Center did a study of the coverage and pretty much had the same observation.

I remembered some years back hearing about a study showing that sexual abuse is far more rampant in public schools than in the church, citing that The figures suggest “the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests,” said Shakshaft, according to Education Week. We hear about teacher abuse scandals on a semi-regular basis, but the 100 times number seemed high. So I did that crazy, extremist action that is an anathema to the left when facing data that seems too convenient in supporting an assumption, I looked at the source report to validate the claims. In fact, the original report backed up my hunch.

To make a long story short, at the top of the report it mentions that the study doesn't clearly differentiate between sexual abuse and sexual misconduct that makes its stats confusing at times. The report also doesn't break out (at least I didn't see it - didn't have time to read all 156 pages) between public and private/parochial schools. Fair enough. Let's say that the number is "only" 50 times greater, or double the rate reported by the Church, or even equal. How come we don't see similar hand wringing whenever a new Secretary of Education is named? I'm going to guess that our public school system affects far more Americans than the Catholic Church does, so shouldn't something of this magnitude be worthy of at least the similar coverage? I was curious myself, so I ran a few searches on Arne Duncan, our Secretary of Education since 2009. Searching on his name alone just turned up some bio info, and searching on "Arne Duncan Sex Scandals" revealed more information about Duncan. Just skimming the headlines in the results I learned that he supports gay marriage, is appalled about what happened at Penn State with Jerry Sandusky, and that he supports gun control. Strangely enough there were no results dedicated to tying Duncan to the rampant sexual abuse in our school system. What if today a mainstream news outlet were to cover the head of our DOE in the same sneering, condescending tone that it uses to report on the Pope. I'm envisioning a TV broadcast from a field reporter out of Southern California...

I am good at three things... I've already done one of those today, so what's the other one gonna be? Huh?

Fresh off of the embarrassment of having to remove a quote from a mass murderer from the Department of Education's web site, the embattled Arne Duncan continues to struggle as the head of an agency that fights to adapt to modern times and is mired in sexual abuse scandals. Despite frequent claims from educators that what they do is for the children, this is difficult to reconcile in the face of teachers guilty of sexual misconduct who can not be terminated from their lucrative contracts  at a time that so many local municipalities struggle to make budgetary ends meet. For that matter, even as these scandals continue to plague our school system the only event that warranted comment from the Secretary seemed to be only because the Penn State Sandusky scandal was one of a magnitude that even his own office could no longer ignore.

(excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...

[latina4dubya]

what if it covered higher academics in the same manner it covers the oil and pharmaceutical companies?

[G Larry]

This story has been buried for over 30 years.

Major Metro School Districts have been moving and hiding perverts for decades.

[Tired of Taxes]

This article makes an excellent point.

[count-your-change]

An old but ineffective defence of wrongdoing, “I'm not as bad as so and so”.
Typically used by seven year old children, teens and people in positions of responsibility who would like for us to ignore the principle that greater assumed authority carries with it greater responsibility, responsibility not just to be good as others but superior in the execution of their duties.

[BobL]

“...said Shakeshaft...”

Years ago she did some study on sex in school and Rush HAD A FIELD DAY with her name - “Shake Shaft”. It was on the ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charol_Shakeshaft

[Bullish]

What if the media actually vetted democrat presidential candidates?

[surroundedbyblue]

No one is defending abusive priests. The point of the article is to highlight the extreme media bias.

[GeronL]

yep, nationally too.

[Graewoulf]

It is time to abolish the US Department of Education.

[count-your-change]

A false and hypocritical argument is being made to demonstrate that bias. A secular school teacher is not a priest and makes no claim to standing as such with special privileges and responsibilities before God.

But a priest does make those claims and according to Jesus’ words it is quite proper to demand more from anyone claiming to represent him.
That demand would be more than a better body count.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The abuse rate among priests was determined to be about 2%, ministers 3%, and school teachers 12%.

You can look it up yourself.

[count-your-change]

From the Catholic Catechism:

“1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:

- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;

- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;

- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;

- by protecting evil-doers.”

The shepherds have a far greater responsibility than the sheep.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The shepherds have a far greater responsibility than the sheep.

So are you equally concerned with abusive Protestant ministers?

[count-your-change]

Why would I not be unless your question assumes an anti-catholic bias?

[verga]

It is time to abolish the US Department of Education. Rand Paul tried and only received 17 votes in support

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Why would I not be unless your question assumes an anti-catholic bias?

Of course.

The Catholic Church and Her priests are bashed regarding sexual abuse 24/7 here. Ministers? Not so much.

I look forward to reading your posts criticizing the problem of child abuse by ministers.

[old and tired]

So are you equally concerned with abusive Protestant ministers?

I think the comparison would be whoever is in charge of Protestant Ministers - for instance, if the Elders of a congregation knew about a minister's sins and covered them up thereby allowing the predator to work for a new congregation that would be similar to our Scandal.

The analogy in the public school system is not with predatory teachers. It is with the public school administration. The scandal in the Catholic Church is not that we had some horrible sinful priests. The scandal is that those horrible men were aided and abetted by bishops and Cardinals.

[count-your-change]

While I frequently post comments I seldom post articles in the forum.

“The Catholic Church and Her priests are bashed regarding sexual abuse 24/7 here. Ministers? Not so much.”

Without making a count I’d say the articles posted here are far more often favorable to the Catholic faithful than not and if this does not appear to be case in your view you are certainly free to post as much as you like to combat this ‘Catholic priest sex abuse bashing’.

But in all the commentary I’ve not read a single good reason why priests should not be held to a standard as befits their claims.

And yes, “shepherds” does include Protestant ministers.

[count-your-change]

“The scandal is that those horrible men were aided and abetted by bishops and Cardinals.”

Precisely the reason for the quote from the Catechism. Many of the abusers were known as abusers to fellow priests, seminarians, Cardinals, bishops thus making them sharers in the sins committed.