Monday, September 26, 2005

An Instant of Insight

Andrea is a local blogger who was at the forum yesterday and has an intereseting observation. Her blog is called Following my bliss, and she describes herself as "an actor/early childhood music teacher/yoga teacher wanna be." She talks about the various topics and speakers at the forum, and then says:
All of these people spoke eloquently on the subject and used clear facts and statistics to support that: 1. homosexuality is NOT choice, 2. reparative therapy is dangerous, and 3. children/adolescents need to be taught age appropriate information on sex and contraceptives.

However, this morning in the Washington Post's coverage of the meeting (see link above) they quoted extensively from a woman who represents the "Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum" (the group that filed a lawsuit to prevent this information from appearing in schools). Now, I was at the meeting, and no one from this group or any other group against the Sex Ed curriculum was present. I'm all for trying to be "fair and balanced" but when you're covering an event shouldn't you only report what happened at the event, not call up the other side to get their opinions when they didn't even hear the information presented at the meeting?

I feel like the way things like sex ed, evolution, and abortion are reported in the media is that you ALWAYS have to get the other side or they're afraid that people who's views were not represented will complain of bias. Now, this may be true if someone is doing an opinion piece, but when you are covering an event, you should state the facts of the event and that's it. Calling up the other side to get their view is then putting your own spin on the story. Strangely, it's almost like the "Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum's" claim that if you teach about homosexuality you also have to teach that it can be "cured". Montgomery Sex Ed panel

Ah, yes, I think she gets it.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Tish said...

Jim, I don't remember about this; did any press contact you or CillyGoose for your opinions when they covered the CRC's hate-fest last March?

You were both there and you could have commented with intelligence.

September 27, 2005 12:18 PM  
Blogger andrear said...

I contacted the Post writer with an answer from the Surgeon General- David Satcher- on "where is the science?" - not that Ms.Turner is interested in science or studies. I don't think he is going to publish what I said or the citation and quote from the Surgeon General. One would think Dr. Wertsch presented enough science that the writer would not have felt the need to include Turner's question. Again, what is the need to balance science with intolerant bias. Ms. Turner's ideas comes from a discredited "therapist" and, based on the speakers at the CRC hate fest, proud homophobes.

Andrea(not the blogger)

September 27, 2005 12:41 PM  

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