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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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Posted on 07/14/2003 3:13:16 PM PDT by ZGuy
It's being called "Jayson Blair-style reporting." CNN is being accused of fabricating a report about scientific critics of Darwinism who recently testified before the Texas State Board of Education.
At last week's hearing, two representatives from the Seattle-based Discovery Institute urged the board to correct factual errors in biology textbooks and require that books discuss flaws in evolutionary theory. Discovery Institute's Dr. John West says CNN reported the hearing as a battle between "nasty religious fundamentalists" who wanted to inject the Bible into science textbooks and "enlightened scientists" who wanted to keep that from happening.
But West says not one person who testified before the board advocated creationism, Intelligent Design theory, or including religion in biology textbooks.
"This doesn't even rise to the level of journalism. Really, it's sheer fantasy," West says. "They had a story that they wanted to tell, which was religion versus science, and when the facts didn't fit that, they just made it up. This is just atrocious."
West, who is associate director of the Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute, says the cable news network described critics of neo-Darwinism who testified at the hearing as people who believe that "the Bible takes precedence over science."
But West says the two Institute fellows who testified simply urged the board of education to use textbooks that cover both the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory.
"Apparently CNN thinks that when it comes to something that's debated, their viewers should only hear one point of view," he says. "This is blatant bias -- but bias is too meek a word for it. It was invention, it was fantasy -- and they were making up the news."
According to West, after CNN aired their taped report from Texas, it conducted a live one-on-one interview with a liberal law professor who attacked scientists who are raising questions about the biology textbooks.
West is encouraging people to call CNN and producers of the show Live from the Headlines to voice their dissatisfaction with correspondent Ed Lavendera's story.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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Gasp, shock, we can never do THAT! If one were to suggest that it had any weaknesses then that would suggest it might not be the truth. Bad boy!
Your wish is granted.
Pretty laughable to expect anyone to do that without an actual transcript of the CNN story. It's spectacularly unclear from the text of this what was ACTUALLY said in the story (sounds like a lot of paraphrasing) and I wouldn't trust these guys any more than CNN.
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