Even More Reasons To Hate John Stossel

[hatrack]

EDIT

"While in St. Louis in March of 2001, at a National Science Teachers’ Convention, I stumbled upon Michael Sanera peddling a book titled Facts Not Fear. For those of you who don’t know, Sanera is the “anti-eco-education point-person” for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a think-tank funded by the likes of Dow Chemical, General Motors, Texaco, and those true friends of education and moral values, Philip Morris. Sanera has a forum in major newspapers from Seattle to New York from which he denounces the environmental movement. Amongst all those teachers of our children, Sanera was like a carnival hack. His manifesto was heavy on fear, and Rush Limbaugh-like on facts. Jeering at everything from ozone loss to species extinction, his was a transparent attack on ecological and environmental education for our nation’s children.

Intrigued, I looked up CEI on the net. There I found a reference to “SaveJohnStossel.org”. Stossel is a reporter with ABC news and the 20/20 news program. He is also a known critic of environmental regulations. CEI was dismayed at the tongue-lashing Stossel received when, incredibly, he reported that organic foods are no safer than foods sprayed with pesticide. As evidence for his claims, Stossel referred to test results, which an independent inquiry found not to exist! In defense of Stossel, CEI claims in their web page that he is entitled to his “right to free speech”. They warn supporters that “politically correct causes and special interests” are prepared to place that freedom in “jeopardy”. Excuse me, but what freedom are they referring to? Are these charlatans discussing the freedom to lie when you’re supposed to be telling the truth on national TV? In my world, investigative reporters are held accountable to verifiable sources and factual reporting. Stossel neglected these.

As an environmental science teacher and concerned citizen, I try to stay current with what industry and government groups have in store for us. Early in 2001 I was forwarded an “urgent” email from RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) beckoning its members to support Mr. Stossel and Mr. Sanera’s jihad against eco-education. RISE is affiliated with the American Crop Protection Institute, a trade group founded to defend “urban usage of pesticides”. The urgent email explained that Michael Sanera who was working with John Stossel’s 20/20 producers on a program to expose the “evils” of environmental education had contacted RISE. In the email RISE beckons its members to find parents and their children who have been “scared green” and are willing to be interviewed. The last line of the email is telling: “Let’s try to help Mr. Stossel. He treats industry fairly in his programs.”

Just to see what would happen, my wife responded to the RISE email using her maiden name, stating that she is not sure about the environmental data our daughters are receiving in school. Soon we received an email back, giving us Michael Sanera’s phone number and urging us to contact him. I was pondering all of this on April 9th, 2001 when, incredibly, producer Ted Balaker of ABC News called me out of the blue. He told me that ABC respected my editorials on environmentalism and they wanted to ask me questions about ecological issues. Point-blank I asked if there was a “Sanera connection”? He told me he’d never spoken to Sanera. I asked did ABC call me to entrap me in a “Scared Green” environmental education piece, where Stossel could manipulate the truth? He said no, there was no such project. Suspicious, I called Michael Sanera as soon as I was off the phone with Balaker, following up on my wife’s email exchange with RISE. I told him my children brought home environmental education information from school and what should I do about it. Sanera was very enthusiastic, asking me if I would speak about this with ABC. He assured me that John Stossel’s producer from ABC would call me. The producer’s name? None other than a “Mr. Ted Balaker.” Balaker had lied to me and I had to find out why."

EDIT

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0804-01.htm

[richmwill]

1. After reading this...

...It makes me wish that David Schultz had an even harder hand! (Obscure, kind-of-inside joke for my fellow wrestling fans)

[TreasonousBastard]

2. We need more reasons?

Stossel is NOT an investigative reporter-- he is an advocate.

And, apparently one with friends in high places. But, we knew that when he got the job on 20/20.

[Viking12]

3. As if I needed another one...

Here's a related link:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/tamperingwithtruth/

[DrWeird]

4. I hate Stossel as much, probably more, than the next guy.

But I'm not sold on the idea that organic foods are safer than non-organic foods. In fact, I've seen papers (seen, didn't read) in reputable journals that claim they're less safe. (owing to the fact that they use far more manure)