More biased reporting today from the Helena IR.
I’ve already written about the biased reporting from the Helena IR on any issues related to Catholicism and the Montana Meth Project.
Today, Matt at Left in the West hilariously mocks the IR’s coverage of the medically accurate sex education curriculum being proposed by the Helena School District.
But what’s more troubling than their moronic hedging is the fact that they promote the “survey” of the group collecting responses in opposition to the curriculum on the IR’s web site, thereby assisting (at no charge) the opponents of medical accuracy to collect responses from the city’s loons.
The “survey” is an online push-poll designed to include all items in the proposed curriculum that the Harry Potter book burners take out of context to stir up hate and exclude all the important bits about abstinence-based (but not abstience-only) education for teens to protect themselves against teen pregnancy and diseases. What’s worse, is that the survey contains no identifying organizational information. NO INFO on who is behind it, so that it appears to be from the IR itself.
What the Catholic Diocese (and its PR flacks at the Helena IR) don’t want you to remember, is that what they most object to in the proposed curriculum is teaching teens that there is such a thing as birth control, something 85% of women will use at some time in their lives.
***UPDATE: Even Faux News, which has a story with the same obvious slant as the IR, doesn’t go so far as actually helping the crazies line up opposition.
If you can’t make the meeting, please take a minute or two and send an email message to Superintendent Bruce Messinger and let him know why you support the curriculum. Dr. Messinger will forward all emails to the entire Board of Trustees. No push poll or fake survey required.
It’s too late for it to die with dignity, but someone needs to put this rag out of it’s misery. In addition to the Helena Diocese, Montana Meth Project, and St. Peter’s Hospital as “preferred sources” Lets add Helena Sand and Gravel.
Over the last week there have been several stories reading like press releases that laud HS&G for their work on Cedar Street. No mention of the fact that after months of tearing up 5 miles of Canyon Ferry Road from Lake Helena Drive to Spokane Creek Road they have disappeared from the site for at least a month with the road a miserable mess.
I’m so glad you brought up Helena Sand and Gravel. What a complete joke!!
Glad to see you here Cowgirl. Have followed your comments elsewhere. My hope is that you can address some local Helena issues as well as the statewide stuff.
Thank you. I hope to do so as well. Thanks for any suggestions you have.
Let’s hope Pogie can join in. He’s been around for a while and also has a local outlook.
He does have great local Helena stuff. His blog is my favorite.
cowgirl-you are an anti catholic fanatic, a secularist. just because the publisher of the IR is pro-life, you have now set out to ruin him. shameful. i frankly am glad you got kicked off LITW for being too liberal. serves you right.
bewoulf – I am a fan of science. apparently I disagree with the IR on that subject. if this paper is going to pimp right-wing special interest group opposition surveys and pretend this is journalism then we must all wonder what other untrustworthy “news” are they printing.
OKAY! Now that’s just too far! I read Beowulf when I was the tender age of 10, and it remains one of the seminal works of my psyche. Hello? “Wulfgar”???
BEWOULF? That’s just sad and disgusting …
;-)
I’m a fan of science and literature. “Bewoulf” should hang it’s head in abject shame.
I suspect that this beowulf probably refers to the .50 catridge of the same name. It’s a pretty much useless shell, kinda like this dink. Ballastically, it’s just a modern .45-70. But really, if you want a .45-70, GET a .45-70.
Actually, Larry, I’d love to get one. Especially this one.
I know. Me too. I actually have a Marlin 336 in the .30-30. They are beautiful rifles. But I’d like the .45-70 too. Never had one and I’m fascinated by such a big shell. The Marlin they call the Guide Gun is neat. Ya know, it’s kinda funny. Some days I like my Winchesters better, and others, my Marlins. Hard to decide which are the better guns.
Geeze! I was wondering how long it would take for the first “fruitcake” to start wielding labels. Didn’t know you had the power to “ruin” the publisher of the IR. Awesome!!!
Just a thought. Maybe PS. you might consider starting a label list with the name of the first person to use each. Bewoulf can get credit for anti – catholic, fanatic, and secularist. I’ll own up to “fruitcake”, but the quotation marks should indicate my tongue firmly in cheek.
I can’t wait to read the story about the actual meeting. :)
I think they are going to be coming out of the woodwork. Poor Helena Public Schools.
NEWSFLASH – TO MR. AND MRS. AMERICA AND ALL THE SHIPS AT SEA! – IR headline: Some will voice support of the school’s proposed methodology, while others will share their concerns.
Is that what the Spanish Inquisition was about? Or the Salem Witch Hunts? Concern?? Or is it the same Concern that Texas had to change history in textbooks? Inquiring Minds want to know!
Good work on this Cowgirl. Don’t know what a substitute teacher can do from Dillon but more then happy to send an email to Bruce.
Everyone likes to bash the IR here, but what if they didn’t report this at all? Is that what you want? Maybe, just maybe, it’s getting the supporters out to support it, too, instead of the whacky loons who say the curriculum is going to teach every kid everywhere to be homosexual and practice anal sex.
Cowgirl, I looked at the link you provided. There’s also one to the ACLU. So what if there’s a link to the survey? How are the results going to be used, or are they? If the IR came out and said the school district shouldn’t pass it because some whackos said so in a survey, then it’s a different story. They haven’t pretended it’s anything other than what it is, and it even says so in the paper and on the site: the survey is put on by a church group. It’s a link. So what?
@MidGrounded: you’re right on the Salem Witch Hunts, which this clearly is, but you’re wrong on Cowgirl doing good work on this one.
Um yeah, after days and days of promoting the opponents “survey” (which is really a collecting tool for opposition comments that was biased by omission of most of what was being proposed) as if it were the IR’s own, they finally added a link to the IR from the ACLU. So you think they deserve some kind of award for that? Did you listen to the hearing?? Opponents touted how much opposition they were able to collect thanks to the IR’s help. No awards here. The IR made a big mistake.
I disagree, Cowgirl, but that’s what makes this world go ’round. I like the IR and the job it does in town.
Now, that said, if the IR used that survey and its results to do a news story, then I’d come back kissing the ground you walked on and full of apologies.
I thought the story today was good. I attended the meeting last night, was lucky enough to be inside, and it’s scary what is happening here. However, I wouldn’t have known about it at all if I hadn’t read about it in the IR. (I’m not inclined to listen to Glenn Beck or watch Faux News.) I didn’t comment, but was proud of those who did in favor. From a neutral position, the supporters clearly made a better case. The opponents seemed irrational, emotional and driven by fear of homosexuality.
Oh, and “days and days?” Didn’t the story run Sunday? I checked it from work on Monday and there was the link to the ACLU. I didn’t check on Sunday.
Thanks for the comments. I’m glad to hear that the IR only left this up for a couple of days…
One thing I liked about the most recent story from the IR on this issue is that they properly reported that the wife of one of the school board members had testified in opposition to the proposed update. That was an important point that, from what I hear, the woman did not reveal herself that she was married to a member of the school board, beyond giving her name.
I should ask, since you were there, if it is correct that the board members spouse did indeed not ID herself as such during her testimony, if you remember.
She did not, nor did she (I hear) when she waxed against the curriculum and the superintendent on Fox News. I didn’t see it, but I hear she put on quite a show.
On a side note, I wonder if Trevor Wilkerson will step aside because of this obvious conflict of interest with his wife leading the charge against the curric? I doubt it.
jalapeno – excellent point. how can he be unbiased about this?
He can’t.
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