[2005/01/06] PBS Yanks Science Film on Intelligent Design From Website
PBS Yanks Science Film on Intelligent Design From Website 01/06/2005
PBS has pulled from its website a
science film examining the theory of intelligent design, after
selling the film for two years on its website, and airing it on
dozens of PBS stations across the country.
"It's chilling that
suddenly in the midst of a national debate over intelligent design
PBS, funded by taxpayer dollars, decides to suppress an educational
film that provides a scientific examination of the theory,"
said Rob
Crowther, director of communications for Discovery Institute's Center
for Science and Culture. "It's a time when many in the public are
wondering what intelligent design theory is, here comes PBS deciding
what the public will learn about intelligent design and what it
won't."
"This really begins to smack of message
suppression, when you realize how much PBS invests in promoting
Darwinian evolutionary theory," said Crowther. "With all the millions
and millions of dollars PBS has spent during the past few years
producing and airing the Evolution series, and training teachers how
to use it the classroom, you have to wonder why they are
discriminating against a science film that has a different view of
the evidence."
According to Crowther, the film was
available for purchase on the PBS.org website as recently as
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005. Earlier this week, New Mexico PBS affiliate
KNME cancelled "Unlocking the Mystery of Life," which was originally
scheduled to air Friday, Jan. 7 at 9pm. The decision resulted in the
station coming under fire in the media for censoring science. Calls
on Friday to PBS's media relations office and to public relations
vice president Lea Sloan were not returned.
"In response to
KNME's decision to ban Unlocking I pointed out that the film was
available on PBS's national website and had aired in almost all of
the top media markets across the country such as New York, Los
Angeles, Miami and elsewhere," said Crowther.
KNME is now
claiming that Crowther was intentionally spreading misinformation,
which Crowther denies, pointing out that Discovery Institute has
posted images that prove his statement on its blog at
www.evolutionnews.org.
"With all the pressure KNME has been
under for such blatant censorship I suspected that the station would
eventually get desperate enough to start making claims like
this," Crowther said. He added that station manager Chad Davis was
unavailable to discuss the situation when
contacted.
"Unlocking the Mystery of Life" is a 58-minute
program exploring what DNA reveals about the origin of life and
documents how some scientists are skeptical about naturalistic
explanations for the origin of genetic information and looking to
theories of design instead. Employing state of the art computer
animation and other visuals, the documentary follows the development
of intelligent design theory through interviews with key design
scientists such as biochemistry professor Michael Behe of Lehigh
University, biologist Dean Kenyon of San Francisco State University,
mathematician William Dembski of Baylor University, microbiologist
Scott Minnich of the University of Idaho, and Cambridge-trained
philosopher of science Stephen Meyer.
[2005/01/06] PBS Yanks Science Film on Intelligent Design From Website
