New England Journal of Medicine Rejects Pro-ID Letter About Kitzmiller Decision

On June 2, 2006, I submitted a short, 175-word letter to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), responding to the incomplete and one-sided discussion of the Kitzmiller ruling they published, “Intelligent Judging — Evolution in the Classroom and the Courtroom,” by George J. Annas (NEJM, Volume 354 [21]:2277-2281 [May 25, 2006]). Today I learned that they have rejected my letter. I’ve had letters rejected or accepted in various venues before, so that’s fine. The rejection notice stated that “[t]he space available for correspondence is very limited, and we must use our judgment to present a representative selection of the material received.” NEJM devoted approximately 3,426 words to Mr. Annas’s article, which was completely one-sided and simply Read More ›

Discovery Institute Becoming One of the Most Cited Think Tanks In The Country

According to a report issued by a liberal media resource, FAIR, the Discovery Institute has become one of the most sought after think-tanks in the country, with greater percentage growth in news notice than any other think tank. Discovery, founded in 1990, is a non-partisan public policy center specializing in issues surrounding transportation, technology, and the scientific theory of intelligent design.

UPDATED: South Carolina Standards Inspires Creative Reporting

Note: It appears that the lead referenced in the original post below has indeed been corrected. And rightly so. Yet another AP lead to the news story about South Carolina’s adoption of science standards calling for critical analysis of evolution. This one is sure to please everyone. (Columbia-AP) June 13, 2006 – The Education Oversight Committee Monday approved high school biology standards that require students to learn. Now who can argue with that!

Associated Press Corrects South Carolina Evolution Story

The Associated Press has corrected the lead paragraph of its story on biology standards adopted yesterday in South Carolina. As Casey Luskin reported last night, the AP’s original story erroneously stated that the new South Carolina standards do not require the critical analysis of evolution. But as of early this morning, the new AP story clearly states that the South Carolina standards do require critical analysis of evolution: COLUMBIA, S.C. – The state Education Oversight Committee approved high school biology standards Monday that require students to “critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory.” (emphasis added) Kudos to the AP for correcting its earlier inaccurate report.

Associated Press has Contradictory Reporting Over South Carolina Science Standards

The Associated Press has an article essentially stating that South Carolina both did and did not approve standards requiring critical analysis of evolution. The article states: “The state Education Oversight Committee approved high school biology standards Monday that do not require students to learn to critically analyze the theory of evolution.” (Education panel approves wording on biology standards) but then goes on to state: “Under the wording approved Monday, students would have to understand how scientists use data to critically analyze the theory.” (Education panel approves wording on biology standards) So which is it? This appears to be contradictory reporting, or slicing the baloney so fine so as to make meaningless statements. What actually happened is that South Carolina ratified Read More ›