A textbook case of media bias

To its credit, The Times Union has been running some highly critical comments from readers about its front page story today, apparently the first of a series, titled  "Scouts' dishonor." The online subhed says: "Despite a proclaimed love of the environment, the Boy Scouts of America is clear-cutting and logging to raise cash." While there are a few feeble attempts at balance in the long story, its anti-logging prejudice is very clear and very stupid. It does not address the fact that the Boy Scouts, like the lumber companies in the Adirondacks, are sitting on a lot of of land that would otherwise be developed. And it's a lot better for the environment and the economy for loggers to cut down the trees and carpenters and paper mill workers to derive their livelihood from them, than for summer homes and condos to be built there for the likes of Hearst Company executives. As some of the commenters say, the Boy Scouts with their politically incorrect stand against gay scoutmasters make a natural target for liberal attacks, and this story plays into every stereotype about media bias.

Comments

[Brian]

If I understand correctly, even the logging industry doesn't like clear cutting because it's unsustainable and hurts their own interests long-term. I don't believe clear cutting happens in the Adirondacks, where that massive overdevelopment you warn of is extremely difficult due to the much demonized APA. You are correct to suggest that environmental groups have come to support modest, sustainable logging for precisely the reasons you mention.

As for the BSA's stand against gay scoutmasters (and you neglect to mention, their policy against gay scouts themselves)... I guess one can be as bigoted as one wants with complete immunity from any criticism (you have freedom to be obnoxious but no one else has freedom to criticize your obnoxiousness lest they be among the demonic politically correct) so long as one hides behind the convenient 'any criticism is political correctness' smokescreen... at least as long as you're not targeting Catholics. That would be horribly unacceptable and require immediate denunciation.

[Brian]

By the way, it's a pretty dubious to say that Hearst is a bunch of flaming liberals who hate the BSA's anti-gay policy so they're going to 'get even' (or however you want to describe it) with the BSA by a 'biased' investigation. It seems like you should have some evidence for a serious charge like this.

[Bob Conner]

TypePad
Hi Brian, always good to see your comments. I guess I don't think it bigoted for the Scouts to object to gay scoutmasters. It seems to me a policy that is trying to minimize the likelihood of sexual abuse of minors. If a heterosexual man is in a tent in the woods with some Boy Scouts, he is less likely to abuse them because he is not sexually attracted to them - which doesn't mean that gay men are likely to abuse boys, just more likely to do so than heterosexual men.

[Brian]

Bob, I understand your concern. All the current policy really does is force scout masters who are gay or bisexual or curious (or whatever the euphemism for that is) to remain in the closet. Let's face it, an openly gay scout master is going to be very closely watched anyways. I'd suspect he'd be less of a risk than an apparently straight master with hidden desires or whatnot, like the many "pillars of the community" around the country that have been caught in such scandals.
The BSA's policy certainly hasn't prevented abuse any more than the Catholic Church's policy against gay priests has prevented sexual abuse of minors either. I'm not sure what BSA guidelines but I don't think it's a wise idea, on many levels, for a single adult to be supervising a group of scouts, whether the adult is straight or not. I also don't think it's a good idea for an adult scout leader to be sharing a tent with a kid (except for his own son), whether that adult is straight or not.
Furthermore, the BSA's is quite overt that its anti-gay scout leader policy is much broader than your explanation. They object to gays in principle.
"We believe an avowed homosexual is not a role model for the values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law," said the organization.
(http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/071800-02.htm)
In any event, I more objected to the BSA's policy against gay SCOUTS.