NBC Response or ??

From
Date
Some of us have received a response regarding the broadcast "The mysterious
origins of man" from Mr. Todd Schwartz, NBC Entertainment, 3000 West
Alameda Avenue, Burbank, CA 91523.

Mr. Todd wrote to me (Mar 13, 1996).  At least one other person received
the same letter.

"Thank you for your letter concerning our special, 'The mysterious origins
of man'.  This was one of many entertainment programs NBC has broadcast
which speculate about alternative views of our world.  Although the show
did  not contain an opening disclaimer, we feel it was very clear the
people interviewed were expressing their only their opinions.  The progam
established that their writings and studies were 'controversial' and made
extensive use of qualifying language such as 'claims . . . .', 'could be .
. . . ', 'reportedly . . . ', 'seems to . . . ', 'may be . . . ', 'suggests
to some . . . ', etc.

The point . . . was not to discredit or discount the results of established
scientific research, but to consider a provocative 'what if' scenario--a
proposition, if you will, which simply asked if modern man could have
existed long before what is currently believed.  The program was designed
only to raise the question, not to prove the hypothesis.

Other NBC specials have raised questions about the existence of angels, the
fulfillment of prophesies, and the efficacy of alternative medicine, and it
was in this context we expected "The mysterious origins of man" to be
viewed.  We're sorry to hear you were offended by that approach, and wee
hope to more adequately address your concerns should the same issue be the
subject of another NBC program."

Should you disagree with Mr. Todd's analysis, please write to him at the
above address.

Science Magazine had a "Science and the Public" piece on this program in
its March 8, 1996, issue, p. 1357.

And if you think that this is not much of an issue, we have had responses
from K-12 teachers that they were overwhelmed by student comments about the
program and how it showed that science was wrong, Tennessee is considering
another anti-evolution (read anti-science) law, and Time Magazine did a
piece on Darwinism in one of its last issues that is not entirely
pro-science.

The proper depiction of science by the media and movies is extremely
important to Americans and America, to say nothing of the rest of the
world.  You can die from bad science, and the country can go to hell from
bad science.  Only scientists can straighten this out.   The media is
incapable of it, yet has enormous influence.  Help stop it.


Jere H. Lipps, Professor and Director
Department of Integrative Biology and
Museum of Paleontology
University of California
Berkeley, California 94720 USA

Voice:  510-642-9006.  Fax:  510-642-1822.
Internet:  jlipps@ucmp1.berkeley.edu
WWW:  http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu