Posted on 09/27/2001 7:43:35 AM PDT by Nora
SEATTLE, Sept. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- An internal PBS memo made public today reveals an improper political agenda behind WGBH/Clear Blue Sky's ongoing series "Evolution", according to the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. The memo describes how "Evolution" will be used to influence government officials and promote political action in order to shape how evolution is taught in public schools.
Dated June 15, 2001, the memo bears the title "The Evolution Controversy, Use It or Lose It: Evolution Project/WGBH Boston" The document outlines the overall goals of the ongoing PBS series Evolution and describes the marketing strategy for the series. The complete text of the PBS memo is posted at http://www.reviewevolution.com.
According to the document, which was leaked by a source within PBS, one of the goals of "Evolution" is to "co-opt existing local dialogue about teaching evolution in schools." Another goal is to "promote participation," including "getting involved with local school boards."
In addition, the document identifies "government officials" as one of the target audiences for the series, and it describes a publicity campaign accompanying the series that will include writing op-eds for newspapers and "guerilla/viral marketing."
"Clearly, one purpose of 'Evolution' is to influence Congress and school boards and to promote political action regarding how evolution is taught in public schools," says Discovery Institute President Bruce Chapman. "In fact, 'Evolution's' marketing plan seems to have the trappings of a political campaign."
"Public television is funded in part by American taxpayers, and it should be held to high standards of fairness. It is inappropriate for public broadcasting to engage in activities designed to directly influence the political process by promoting one viewpoint at the expense of others," said Chapman.
According to Discovery Institute's John West, the political agenda behind "Evolution" is made even more explicit by its enlistment of Eugenie Scott as one of the official spokespersons for the series.
Scott runs the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), an advocacy group that by its own description is dedicated to "defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools." According to the group's Web site, the NCSE provides "expert testimony for school board hearings," supplies citizens with "advice on how to organize" when "faced with local creationist challenges," and assists legal organizations that litigate "evolution/creation cases."
"The NCSE is a single-issue group that takes only one side in the political debate over evolution in public education," says West, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Seattle Pacific University. "It is inappropriate for public television to enlist NCSE's executive director as an official spokesperson for this program."
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Founded in 1990, Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non- partisan public policy center for science, technology, regional development, environment, and defense. More information about the Institute and its activities can be found at www.discovery.org.
KEYWORDS:
SCIENCE, EDUCATION
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
09/27 06:00
Copyright 2001, U.S. Newswire
"I am skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged."
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It's my understanding that evolution is still the ONLY theory taught in the educational system. I'm in the "bible belt" and thats certainly the only theory my kids are being taught.(In school that is.) Doesn't sound like the desire the take BACK education could be the agenda here. Maybe they're pushing to have the word THEORY removed from evolution. Since there's so much proof and all........
Yeah, public education is such a hotbed of creationism! (/sarcasm)
If evolution is a fact....why are they resorting to propaganda to push it?
Is there an agenda when people are so ignorant of the idea of evolution that they ask, "If we came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?" Is there an agenda when people adopt so luddite a stance to science that they root for the gaps in our knowledge to expand, that they interpret every ambiguity or plus-or-minus error bar in measurement as absolute ignorance? I suppose the ultimate victory for such people would be to wake up in a world in which all scientific knowledge to date had been lost.
That is the science of ID. It offers nothing but the message that we know nothing and can never know anything so we might as well assume everything is supernatural. Sounds like an agenda to me.
I already know that the premise behind the agenda is wrong. And I'm not impressed with willful ignorance and lawyerly deceit as attempted persuasion.
I liked (and voted for) the Republicans when they talked like that....
Sometimes when I read things like this at this site, I wonder how so many people with the IQ of apes manage to use a computer.
Perhaps if you took some time to learn a little about evolutionary theory, to study archeology, to try to understand the EVIDENCE and mechanisms of evolution, you wouldn't pose stupid questions like that one.
All the creationists out there could stand to do the same. Isn't it about time for you people to face reality and understand that the story of creation is a FABLE? I swear, sometimes you Bible-thumpers remind me a lot of Clintonites - "Don't confuse me with facts! What am I going to believe, my eyes, or some guy with a funny hat?"
I have ranted not!!!
I posted a press release on a topic I had noticed many FReepers were interested in. Other than searching to make sure it wasn't already up, I haven't even looked at the threads until this one. I feel a little obligation to visit a thread that I start.
You believe what you think and I'll believe what I think. PSB needs to stay out of it with THEIR OPINION!
This absolutely outrageous statement only serves to show your complete lack of objectivity on the issue.
You assume that all "Bible-thumpers" are dumb hicks who wouldn't take the time to investigate anything even if they had the intellect to do it. Such an assumption is just wrong and a cursory glance at the historic or current literature would reveal that fact. However, it is clear from your inflammatory and insulting remarks that you are more comfortable in your own formulated reality undisturbed by threatening cogent arguments.
If the evolutionists could disprove the Bible, they would do it in a minute. In frustration, they are left, like you, with ad hominem attacks and vitriolic rhetoric.
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