| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
20 Jun 2007 07:58:26 PM |
| Object: |
Brainwashing at Temple U . |
Brainwashing at Temple U
By Dan Murphy | June 20, 2007
When Professors Karen Turner and Linn Washington forced my
Investigative Journalism class to watch most of the film "An
Inconvenient Truth," it was clear that they had an agenda they wanted
to shove down our throats.
Afterwards, the professors said the purpose of watching the movie was
to give us varying ideas for our final project, which had to be on
different aspects of the environment, and despite telling us to keep
an open mind about the issues Gore raises, they showed no film and
presented no document that offered an opinion opposing Gore's claim.
We were used to leftwing material; much of our readings, class
discussions, and assignments were leftwing political talking points
rather than authentic journalism. The text, "Into the Buzzsaw," by
Kristina Borjesson, contained a lot of short articles written by
journalists who investigated stories that were turned down by their
papers and news networks, apparently because their work was too
questionable to run. Among the subjects of the articles was the
accusation that World War II and the current Iraq war are being fought
for oil; the assertion that George Bush won the 2000 election because
"58,000" African-Americans were disenfranchised and felons weren't
allowed to vote in Florida; a rant by a former Fox News employee about
a memo that was passed around the newsroom daily with tips on
conservative shows (as if CNN doesn't circulate a memo with liberal
storylines).
Also included as part of our instructional materials were videos such
as Greg Palast's "Bush Family Fortunes," which talks about the way the
Bush family got its money. Palast, who wrote the above-mentioned
article about Bush winning Florida in 2000, is a wanna-be
investigative reporter who looks for conspiracy theories, palming them
off as fact. In the video, he tries to tie Bush's polices as
President to his family fortunes (hint: oil wealth).
After I saw and read his work, I understood why he has trouble getting
it circulated in the U.S. Another video, titled "Control Room," put
down the American media for not accurately reporting the events of the
Iraq War. Even though we know that the mainstream media has lunged
for negative images, the producers of this film accuse the U.S. media
of making the war look too rosy. They paint Al-Jazeera as the fair
and balanced news source in the Middle East, because it focuses on
blood and gore of war. The head of Al-Jazeera is interviewed, and
claims to report both sides. However, all the supporting film clips
show are negative images of U.S. troops and unhappy Iraqis spewing
hatred toward America.
Forgetting about their shoddy quality for a moment, neither of these
videos did much to teach us about investigative journalists, unless
that term has become a synonym for conspiracy theorizing. I'm
reluctant to criticize my professors in print, but the entire class
was a violation of Temple University's academic freedom regulations,
and I am fed up with such unprofessional behavior in the classroom.
But the one-sided, leftwing propaganda the teachers force fed us had
one (for them) unintended consequence. I found myself constantly
challenging their opinions - at first simply to myself, and then in
class. I figured that even if most of the class didn't agree with me,
at least I was presenting a different viewpoint, which is supposed to
be what education is all about. I probably would have had more heated,
extensive arguments with the professors, but I did not want to put my
grade at risk. In the politically correct and leftwing classroom, that
is always a dark possibility.
Dan Murphy is a student at Temple University.
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| User: "Bob LeChevalier" |
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| Title: Re: Brainwashing at Temple U . |
20 Jun 2007 09:45:14 PM |
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wrote:
Brainwashing at Temple U
By Dan Murphy | June 20, 2007
When Professors Karen Turner and Linn Washington forced my
Investigative Journalism class to watch most of the film "An
Inconvenient Truth," it was clear that they had an agenda they wanted
to shove down our throats.
Afterwards, the professors said the purpose of watching the movie was
to give us varying ideas for our final project, which had to be on
different aspects of the environment, and despite telling us to keep
an open mind about the issues Gore raises, they showed no film and
presented no document that offered an opinion opposing Gore's claim.
It obviously sounds like the film should have given him the perfect
idea for an investigative journalism final project - make a film, or
come up with the content/screenplay for such a film, which examines
any evidence that counters Gore's claims.
Which shows that he is too busy taking personal offense to actually
think like an investigative journalist.
We were used to leftwing material; much of our readings, class
discussions, and assignments were leftwing political talking points
rather than authentic journalism.
"Authentic journalism" would therefore be "rightwing political talking
points", since it is obvious that this guy is so biased that anything
that questions his personal point of view must therefore be "leftwing
materials".
Forgetting about their shoddy quality for a moment, neither of these
videos did much to teach us about investigative journalists, unless
that term has become a synonym for conspiracy theorizing.
It often is. The concept was after all started by Woodward and
Bernstein tackling the Watergate conspiracy.
Sometimes a reporter can uncover a story about a single individual
doing something wrong, but that will be rare - the sorts of evidence
that a reporter will uncover will be the sorts that come out when
multiple people interact, and a conspiracy is another name for
multiple people interacting to do something wrong.
I'm reluctant to criticize my professors in print,
Which is why he does so.
but the entire class was a violation of Temple University's academic freedom regulations,
The professor has academic freedom. The professor also risks his
professional standing with every paper he writes, and do some extent
with every class he teaches.
Students are too interested in grades, and are usually too unwilling
to take risks, to have real academic freedom (see below)
and I am fed up with such unprofessional behavior in the classroom.
You mean "exercise of academic freedom"?
But the one-sided, leftwing propaganda the teachers force fed us had
one (for them) unintended consequence. I found myself constantly
challenging their opinions - at first simply to myself, and then in
class.
But yet he didn't come up with the obvious final project.
I figured that even if most of the class didn't agree with me,
at least I was presenting a different viewpoint, which is supposed to
be what education is all about.
Then he should feel very educated, if all he was exposed to was ideas
that differed from his own prejudices.
That is one aspect of education. Others include learning skills, and
acquiring the factual basis concepts needed to understand multiple
viewpoints.
I probably would have had more heated,
extensive arguments with the professors, but I did not want to put my
grade at risk.
Unwillingness to take risks is not the sort of thing that makes a
successful investigative journalist, or even a journalist at all.
If you are never willing to take risks, you never really have freedom,
academic or otherwise.
In the politically correct and leftwing classroom, that is always a dark possibility.
The dark possibility is that the student might actually not know
everything, and thus could stand to learn something from being exposed
to a point of view that he obviously disagrees with.
In the case of students, this dark possibility is actually the norm.
If the student actually knew everything, he wouldn't need to be in the
class.
lojbab
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