Science Groups Protest CNN's Cuts; Entire science team cut

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Columbia Journalism Review

Four of the world’s largest science and environmental journalism groups issued their first-ever joint statement today in a letter sent to CNN protesting the network’s decision to cut its entire science team this month. The presidents of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, the National Association of Science Writers, the Society of Environmental Journalists, and the World Federation of Science Journalists signed the letter, which was addressed to CNN’s Jim Walton and Jon Klein, the network’s worldwide and U.S. presidents, respectively....

These four groups have for years provided wonderful support and resources to journalists in an effort to improve the quality and quantity of science and environmental journalism. It is exciting to see them banding together to protest the demise of yet another desk. The concerted effort could not come at a more urgent time.

On Saturday, President-elect Barack Obama officially announced his new science and technology team. His speech made it clear that he intends to restore a respect and admiration for scientific knowledge in the White House.

“Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry,” Obama said. “It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us.”

Yet here we stand at this great turning point in history, with politicians finally giving scientists some of the respect they deserve, and our nation’s editors and publishers don’t seem to get it. What a shame.

Read more: http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/science_groups_protest_cnn_cut.php

[Trajan]

1. I met Miles O'Brian .....

When he brought a crew to the Downey Rockwell during the Shuttle-MIR docking flights ....

VERY nice fella, and so were his crew ....

I guess it's Merry Fucking Christmas for them ..... Geez ....

[Ian David]

11. Hey, if David Groves or Marcus Allen ever show their faces at your facility...

... if you kick them in the nuts, I'll post bail, okay?

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

17. Miles was like a little kid on Christmas Morn whenever he talked about NASA or space stuff.

Such Enthusiasm, it was always a joy to watch him reporting space stories.

[tom_paine]

2. The future is HERE America!

[lovuian]

3. they were all lying sacks of crap

good riddance

[KamaAina]

4. It's official: Watching CNN makes you stupider

maybe they sould change it to C- NN. :P

[Turbineguy]

5. I think that was Palin's platform.

Science? Sure, if you believe in that shit!

[aquart]

6. With the changes Obama is looking to make, that seems shortsighted.

[NashVegas]

21. Not Really

If the Obama administration is going to fund its own research and talking points initiatives - in other words, do the work FOR the media - which some expect they will, eliminating its a production staff looks exactly like the sort of move a corporate, non-fact-checking organization, would do.

[Kevin Cloyd]

7. I wish I could get al Jazeera

instead of CNN.

It's my guess that Miles was unwilling to sell out. His reporting was some of the last on CNN that was worth watching. All sensationalism all the time now, missing teenage blonds, Hollywood gossip, police rescue video, car chases, and airplanes with stuck landing gears...wait...that was Miles' gig, no more airlines reporting (they do buy a buttload of advertising, can't bitr the hand that feeds you.)

[KT2000]

8. The celebrity gossip staff

is likely fully funded.

[Greybnk48]

9. I sorely miss the CNN of the 90's

what a shame.

[Ian David]

10. Anderson Cooper's special, "Climate in Crisis: Now We're Really Fucked" must have pissed someone off

[hatrack]

12. Yeah, but they have HOLOGRAMS in their broadcasts!

"Scientific" enough for all you pointy-headed liberals, huh?!?!?!

:eyes:

[Doctor_J]

13. They'll be hiring a fusilade of wingers to attack Obama for 8 years

the rest of the staff will have to be trimmed to the bone.

[Uncle Joe]

14. The corporate media has been and always will be the corporations' media,

whenever science threatens their established client's narrow agenda, science will be silenced.

“Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry,” Obama said. “It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us.”

It's like they say in the faith based community, it's a sin to watch CNN.

Thanks for the thread, DeepModem Mom.

[Endangered Specie]

15. They had a science team?

[xxqqqzme]

16. News to me as well!

But I stopped watching CNN in 1994, so what do I know.

[PADemD]

18. Alternative Energy

A few weeks ago, Miles O'Brien narrated an excellent program on alternative energy and innovative green products. I was looking forward to more programs like this.

[NoodleyAppendage]

19. Perfect set-up to have "private industry" fund the next CNN "science team."

O'Brien and the others apparently had too much integrity for the CNN corporate sponsors to stomach, so they canned that group. You watch, in a few months, a new "science team" will be formed that will have a decidedly industry-friendly approach.

[NashVegas]

20. Or the Brookings Institute

Which is probably more likely.

ps - 6 producers to one correspondent is more than a little top heavy.

[riverdeep]

22. Well, as long as attractive white girls murdered in exotic locations still get coverage,

America won't likely care.

I swear we're getting stupider by the month.

[entanglement]

23. Science coverage in the corporate media has always been woefully inadequate, but I suppose

even that wasn't enough.

[Dulcinea]

24. CNN was so much better when Ted Turner was running it.

Time Warner probably didn't want to pay for a science unit. They have to answer to fat cat stockholders first & foremost.

[Lionel Mandrake]

25. CNN has come full circle.

Once upon a time CNN was a joke.

Then along came Peter Arnett and the Gulf War, and CNN gained respect.

Now it's a joke again.

[baldguy]

26. Before it was a measly little piss-ant joke.

Now its a fat bloated useless joke.

[Lionel Mandrake]

27. In between, I used to watch CNN Headline News.

[McLowery]

28. Ass backwards dolts!

The top brass at CNN probably went to the creation museum just before they decided to deep six their science team. I've heard seeing your ancestors in their natural environment, foraging right along side a bracheosaurus, will get you all warm and fuzzy inside, making it crystal clear as to the earth being only 6000 years old.

It's just the way the corporate ruled media always does things. The president offers his stratagey then they do whatever they can to hinder it so the friction caused keeps plenty of dirt for their zombie audience to be fed.

[DeepModem Mom]

30. Thanks for posting, McLowery -- welcome to DU!

[McLowery]

31. Thanks for the welcome!

I've been here many times from news links but I didn't know it had such an active user forum til now! I had to get in on that!

[Life Long Dem]

29. It's about Obama and all of us... it's about your health.

It's about what Obama "is doing in science" and not about the media.

Maybe if less people tuned in to watch big business push their propaganda, then their ratings would plummet.