Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Why does John Stossel hate America?

After reading this piece on Stossel and his hatred for the environment, I wonder again, why does John Stossel hate America?
As unsuspecting teachers look to enlighten their students this fall, they just might pay the $29.95 for “Tampering with Nature”, from the collection of “John Stossel Videos.” The question for teachers is: do they know that John Stossel is playing them as chumps? Look at how “Tampering with Nature” was deceitfully made and maybe instead of writing that check, teachers and parents will email ABC and John Stossel with indignation and contempt.

...snip...

In May I received a call from a traumatized mother/Earth Day organizer in LA who told me a chilling story. Just like me, ABC had contacted her about doing a student interview. Unsuspecting, she agreed to the interview.

On April 20 & 23, 2001, a group of children, ages 8-11, eagerly awaited the opportunity to discuss the environment on TV. Their interviewer? John Stossel. Deftly, what had been represented to be a program showcasing the children’s fluency in science was turned into a witch-hunt. Stossel set the tone and agenda. Leading them on with hooks like, “It sounds so terrible, aren’t you scared?” he manipulated them into saying they were afraid in front of the camera. Then, quoting statistics from Sanera’s Facts Not Fear, he “proved” there is no environmental crisis, that recycling is a “sham”, that caribou herds have increased since drilling for oil began in Alaska, etc. Not once did he focus on the confident place the children spoke from...their hearts and minds. He intimidated the children so that their grasp of issues, like the considerable downsides of fossil fuels, was never addressed. He went on to question the motives of their teachers and advisors, accusing them of exploitation. The mirage of film editing now could show the children in the poorest light.

Sure enough, when “Scared Green” now morphed into “Tampering with Nature” was shown, it was a one-sided, deeply critical of environmental education and cast environmental woes as inconsequential. The piece avoided hard issues, employed “yellow journalism” and was loaded with critics of environmental protection and environmental education. Now, this film is for sale for use in classrooms? Despite pleas for ABC to reprimand Stossel after the showing of “Tampering with Nature”, ABC turned a blind eye to these new low in environmental reporting. Hey, they are the “Wonderful World of Disney” known for making lies (I mean dreams) come true.
Plain evil. It's not just Stossel; it appears to be a passel of concentrated attacks by the corporate world using 'educational material' designed for kids, the most vulnerable of our citizens.

If I knew my child had been exposed to this video, after all my efforts to stay clear of corporate media, I would be furious.

I can't find an email address but for now, here is a mailing address. If this makes you mad, let them know.

ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
Phone number: (818) 460-7477

Update: How could I forget the link?

Update:
Email addresses and phone numbers!
Contact:
John Stossel: stossel@abc.com
20/20: 2020@abc.com
ABC News: netaudr@abc.com
John Stossel c/o 20/20
147 Columbus Ave., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-456-7301
Fax: 212-456-0533