January 6, 2010
Television Journalist Slams Government Spin
CBS's Bob Schieffer says it makes it harder to trust our leaders.
Television Journalist Slams Government Spin
CBS's Bob Schieffer says it makes it harder to trust our leaders.
SUMMARY: When Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said "the system
worked" following the "Undie-bomber" fiasco, we shouldn't have been
surprised, Bob Schieffer of CBS News says. Although Napolitano has been
heavily criticized for that initial response, she was just following the modern,
public relations template in this age of information management.
First, play down the problem. Second, emphasize what didn't go wrong. Third,
assure us those in charge are "investigating," and finally, emphasize no person
in authority is at fault. Unlike golfer Tiger Woods, who can use his own money
to hire people to come to his defense, the government is using our money when
it tells us less than the whole truth.
As we learned during Katrina, self-serving spin at the first sign of a crisis can
make things worse by making it harder to believe anything the government
says. Real security is built on trust in the government, and that requires telling
the truth right from the start.
To read the entire commentary and view a video, click on this link to
CBS NEWS.
COMMENT: It was refreshing to read these comments coming from a
well-respected journalist because it identifies a real problem in our society.
This problem is certainly not a new one, and it by no means is limited to our
government. We are all faced with the temptation to spin the story when we
are caught in an embarrassing situation.
This is an especially common problem in the world of science. As scientists
depend upon public and private grants in order to have the financial resources
to continue their pet experiments, they are almost certain to paint the most
optimistic picture they can even if the results of their work are less than
promising.
One area where spinning the facts appears to be especially serious is stem
cell research. Those scientists involved with embryonic stem cells continue to
focus on the very limited successes they have had or they keep talking about
the "promise" of embryonic stem cells. In truth, shouldn't the money now being
used on this nearly-fruitless research be directed instead to the work being
done by those scientists working with "adult" stem cells, a field of research that
already has provided a long list of successes? With money being as tight as it
is these days, more people might be helped sooner if more scientists could
afford to work with the successful non-embryonic stem cells.
Another area where spin is often practiced is in evolutionary science. When a
new fossil is discovered, it is common to focus on the similarities the fossil has
to some other creature with which it can be linked according to an evolutionary
scenario. The differences even if important will likely be ignored, at least at first.
And when it comes to those discoveries of soft tissue and red blood cells in
dinosaur fossils alleged to be millions of years old, playing down the story is
obviously the tactic being used and perfected by mainstream scientists.
If it is important to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in
government affairs, and it is, then it is equally important to tell the whole truth in
other venues which affect our daily lives. Fortunately, Christians have a
resource that tells it like it is without pulling punches. The Holy Bible tells us
bluntly that we are all destined for hell because of our sins. However, then it
reassures us that Jesus Christ came to suffer the punishment for our sins that
we richly deserve, so that now all believers need not fear eternity but can look
forward to the joys of heaven. And that's certainly no spin
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
How many species of plants are known to be carnivorous?
**************************************************************************************
NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including
those containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow
several hours for it to appear on the blog.
**************************************************************************************
worked" following the "Undie-bomber" fiasco, we shouldn't have been
surprised, Bob Schieffer of CBS News says. Although Napolitano has been
heavily criticized for that initial response, she was just following the modern,
public relations template in this age of information management.
First, play down the problem. Second, emphasize what didn't go wrong. Third,
assure us those in charge are "investigating," and finally, emphasize no person
in authority is at fault. Unlike golfer Tiger Woods, who can use his own money
to hire people to come to his defense, the government is using our money when
it tells us less than the whole truth.
As we learned during Katrina, self-serving spin at the first sign of a crisis can
make things worse by making it harder to believe anything the government
says. Real security is built on trust in the government, and that requires telling
the truth right from the start.
To read the entire commentary and view a video, click on this link to
CBS NEWS.
COMMENT: It was refreshing to read these comments coming from a
well-respected journalist because it identifies a real problem in our society.
This problem is certainly not a new one, and it by no means is limited to our
government. We are all faced with the temptation to spin the story when we
are caught in an embarrassing situation.
This is an especially common problem in the world of science. As scientists
depend upon public and private grants in order to have the financial resources
to continue their pet experiments, they are almost certain to paint the most
optimistic picture they can even if the results of their work are less than
promising.
One area where spinning the facts appears to be especially serious is stem
cell research. Those scientists involved with embryonic stem cells continue to
focus on the very limited successes they have had or they keep talking about
the "promise" of embryonic stem cells. In truth, shouldn't the money now being
used on this nearly-fruitless research be directed instead to the work being
done by those scientists working with "adult" stem cells, a field of research that
already has provided a long list of successes? With money being as tight as it
is these days, more people might be helped sooner if more scientists could
afford to work with the successful non-embryonic stem cells.
Another area where spin is often practiced is in evolutionary science. When a
new fossil is discovered, it is common to focus on the similarities the fossil has
to some other creature with which it can be linked according to an evolutionary
scenario. The differences even if important will likely be ignored, at least at first.
And when it comes to those discoveries of soft tissue and red blood cells in
dinosaur fossils alleged to be millions of years old, playing down the story is
obviously the tactic being used and perfected by mainstream scientists.
If it is important to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in
government affairs, and it is, then it is equally important to tell the whole truth in
other venues which affect our daily lives. Fortunately, Christians have a
resource that tells it like it is without pulling punches. The Holy Bible tells us
bluntly that we are all destined for hell because of our sins. However, then it
reassures us that Jesus Christ came to suffer the punishment for our sins that
we richly deserve, so that now all believers need not fear eternity but can look
forward to the joys of heaven. And that's certainly no spin
**************************************************************************************
Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail
your request to [admin@lutheranscience.org].
**************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
How many species of plants are known to be carnivorous?
**************************************************************************************
NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including
those containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity or
advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow
several hours for it to appear on the blog.
**************************************************************************************
0 Comments
| LSI stands for the Lutheran Science Institute, an organization of WELS and ELS Lutherans interested in science and health issues with a special emphasis on the creation and evolution controversy. This blog's purpose is to search the Internet to find articles of interest to Christians. Views expressed are those of the author (Warren Krug) and are not necessarily those of the Lutheran Science Institute, Inc. |
Some 600 species of plants are known to
lure, capture, kill and digest insects or, in
some cases, even small animals such as
tadpoles and frogs. Two examples are the
pitcher plant (picture from Wikipedia) and
the Venus flytrap.
Source: Answers (Jan.-Mar., 2010)
lure, capture, kill and digest insects or, in
some cases, even small animals such as
tadpoles and frogs. Two examples are the
pitcher plant (picture from Wikipedia) and
the Venus flytrap.
Source: Answers (Jan.-Mar., 2010)