Author: John G. West
Blog Readers Get Newspaper to Correct Erroneous Coverage of Caldwell Civil Rights Suit
After our blog highlighted errors in a news article about Larry Caldwell’s civil rights suit, so many people contacted the newspaper in question (the Press-Tribune) that the paper responded by contacting Caldwell. “As a testament to the power and value of your evolution blog,” Caldwell recently told us, “the Press-Tribune was getting so many complaints from around the country about the errors in their reporting that they contacted me and asked if I wanted them to correct any errors. The editor then invited me to write this letter.” Larry’s letter can now be read online, here. Kudos to the readers of this blog!
Newsweek on “Doubting Darwin”
The Feb. 7 issue of Newsweek carries a long article about intelligent design titled “Doubting Darwin.” Although I don’t agree with the article in every particular, Newsweek’s Jerry Adler is to be commended for far outclassing Newsweek’s competitor, Time magazine, in his coverage of the growing debate over evolution. Compared to Time’s histrionic article a few days ago, Newsweek’s story is a serious attempt to report on what is actually happening. Among other things, Newsweek clearly distinguishes intelligent design from biblical creationism, and it avoids the conspiracy-mongering promoted by leading Darwinists. (FYI, the print edition of Newsweek carries a nice full-color photo of Steve Meyer and myself at the Discovery Institute office. If you look closely at the photo, you Read More ›
Kansas City Star and Arizona Republic Report, You Decide
Since this blog devotes a lot of space to exposing what happens when journalists don’t report fairly or accurately on the evolution issue, I’d also like to highlight articles written by reporters who have tried hard to be impartial and who have done their homework. Two examples occurred this past weekend, when the Kansas City Star and the Arizona Republic ran feature stories about the evolution debate that allowed both sides to make their points. The Star article is here, and the Arizona Republic piece is here. The reporters and editors of these papers deserve credit for producing thoughtful stories that treat all sides of the debate with fairness and respect.
Boston Globe Worries about Invasion by “Creationists”
While the rest of the country worries about terrorists who try to blow up people here and abroad, the editorialists at the Boston Globe worry about an invasion by… American creationists. Today the Globe is running an overwrought editorial with the hysterical title “Creationists at the gate” — conjuring up images of stampeding hordes of vandals and visigoths about to overrun civilized society. It is becoming harder and harder to lampoon the liberal newsmedia on the evolution issue, because their hysteria apparently knows no bounds. If the liberal media want to be taken more seriously by the majority of Americans, they might start by trying to base their opinions on facts rather than fantasies. For example, the Globe repeatedly warns Read More ›
Once Upon a Time
As noted in a previous post, Time’s recent article about intelligent design reads more like an editorial than a news report. Here is an itemized list of some of the ways Time slanted and misreported its story: