More Rehab
Apparently, Tom Geoghegan, Floyd Landis' former manager, has decided to enter rehab after threatening Greg LeMond with revealing that LeMond had been sexually abused as a child. He joins a growing list on my blog, including Mark Foley and Gavin Newsom, who enter rehab as soon as their indiscretions make it into the news. Absurd, amusing, and pathetic, all rolled into one.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Religious Discrimination on Campus? Or in Newspapers?
In a provocative article, the question of whether evangelicals face discrimination on university campuses is raised. The article begins with the story of a junior majoring in social work at Missouri State University who, during a socail work class, objected to an assignment that included writing a letter in support of something that violated her religious beliefs. After she refused to sign the letter, she had to go before a judicial panel at the school on charges of discrimination.
Or so the article would lead you to believe. The article states all of this as if it were facts. In reality, that summary of what happened to her is just her perspective of what happened, based on her lawsuit. However, the article does not say that. Rather than throwing in the usual phrases, such as "as her lawsuit alleged" or "as she claimed" after each statement, the article states these things as if they were facts stipulated by both sides. In the last three paragraphs of the relatively decent length article, the article suddenly suggests that there is another side to the student's story -- the professor's side. Who knew?!? According to the professor, he is a former pastor from a Pentecostal church and hardly anti-religious. Moreover, he claims never forced anyone to sign the letter.
Now, whether the professor or the student is correct in their accounts is beside the point. The problem is that the article does little-to-no justice for the professor's point of view. Not only does the article wait until the end to discuss the professor's side of things, it opens with the student's story in such a way that it appears that the student's story is FACT -- disagreed upon by no one. This is rather ironic as the much of the article focuses on people pushing for respect for divergent opinions and beliefs.
Clearly, if I were as absurd as paranoid right-wingers, I would loudly decry the obviously pro-evangelical, anti-university bias that this newspaper (the Washington Post) has. Unfortunately, I'm much more understanding than those paranoid wackos. I just think it's bad reporting.
In a provocative article, the question of whether evangelicals face discrimination on university campuses is raised. The article begins with the story of a junior majoring in social work at Missouri State University who, during a socail work class, objected to an assignment that included writing a letter in support of something that violated her religious beliefs. After she refused to sign the letter, she had to go before a judicial panel at the school on charges of discrimination.
Or so the article would lead you to believe. The article states all of this as if it were facts. In reality, that summary of what happened to her is just her perspective of what happened, based on her lawsuit. However, the article does not say that. Rather than throwing in the usual phrases, such as "as her lawsuit alleged" or "as she claimed" after each statement, the article states these things as if they were facts stipulated by both sides. In the last three paragraphs of the relatively decent length article, the article suddenly suggests that there is another side to the student's story -- the professor's side. Who knew?!? According to the professor, he is a former pastor from a Pentecostal church and hardly anti-religious. Moreover, he claims never forced anyone to sign the letter.
Now, whether the professor or the student is correct in their accounts is beside the point. The problem is that the article does little-to-no justice for the professor's point of view. Not only does the article wait until the end to discuss the professor's side of things, it opens with the student's story in such a way that it appears that the student's story is FACT -- disagreed upon by no one. This is rather ironic as the much of the article focuses on people pushing for respect for divergent opinions and beliefs.
Clearly, if I were as absurd as paranoid right-wingers, I would loudly decry the obviously pro-evangelical, anti-university bias that this newspaper (the Washington Post) has. Unfortunately, I'm much more understanding than those paranoid wackos. I just think it's bad reporting.
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