A Dec. 4 WorldNetDaily article by Bob Unruh keeps up his brand of “journalism” by subjectively misdescribing a California law on diversity, allowing opponents of the law to frame the issue and refusing to allow any supporter of the law to react to the criticism.
The article’s headline set the tone by exclaiming “Homosexodus!” — an apparent attempt to capitalize on its similarly silly “Sexpidemic” head. Unruh goes on to call the law in question a “newly mandated homosexual indoctrination program.” In fact, all the bill essentially does is add “sexual orientation” to a list of characteristic California schools are not allowed to “promote[] a discriminatory bias” against. By repeating the “homosexual indoctrination” canard, Unruh is invoking the depiction-equals-approval fallacy, and he offers no evidence here beyond the assertions of opponents that the law does, in fact, result in “homosexual indoctrination” — something Unruh would never have gotten away with had he written this article for his former employer, the Associated Press.
Unruh quotes numerous opponents of the law, most egregiously WND columnist Olivia St. John, who claimed in a Dec. 3 column — without evidence, of course — that the law will result in the state force-feeding children perverse material and videos vile enough to garner an R-rating in the local multiplex.”
(St. John’s column goes on to state — which Unruh unquestioningly quotes: “When it comes to actively promoting sin to public school children, the homosexuals are light years ahead of adulterers, fornicators and substance abusers, who haven’t yet implemented student-run organizations to convince children that such lifestyle choices are normal.” What place does this have in a “news” article? What journalism school taught Unruh that this was a good, fair, balanced thing to put in one?)
While Unruh quotes state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell as saying the law “simplifies and clarifies existing civil rights protections for California students,” he immediately allows another critic to attack the claim. O’Donnell’s statement was apparently pulled by Unruh from a “a notice to all ‘county and district superintendents'”; there is no evidence that Unruh contacted O’Donnell for a response. Unruh also pulled a quote from the bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Sheila Kuehl — whom he describes as a “Santa Monica Democrat, who lives an openly homosexual lifestyle” — from a newspaper; there’s no indication Unruh contacted her, either. Didn’t want to catch those gay cooties over the phone, apparently.
This is an appallingly biased, unfair article by someone who has touted his long journalistic experience. But, sadly, it’s par for the course for WND, who apparently has no problem printing such misleading tripe.