CBS news: CBS Needs Education on Homeschooling, Say Advocates
V
CBS Needs Education on Homeschooling, Say Advocates
Keep the letters & calls going my friends!
It is making them notice!
Vicky
CBS Needs Education on Homeschooling, Say Advocates
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
October 16, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - Homeschooling advocates are accusing CBS
News of trying to damage their reputation with a two-part report
focusing on the "dark side" of the "largely unregulated"
homeschool movement. The reports aired Monday and Tuesday
nights.
"Those who may be opposed to home education are digging
around the bottom of the barrel, looking for marginal cases,
families who have troubles that far exceed any educational
question," said Hal Young, president of North Carolinians for
Home Education.
Young was the only person in the Eye on America segments
who defended the practice of homeschooling.
According to the CBS reports, the practice of educating children
at home carries with it the risk that children will be abused or
even "killed while homeschooling."
While previewing the Eye on America investigation during CBS's
The Early Show Monday morning, Rather said the following:
"Homeschooling has produced some brilliant young minds, but
there is a dark side to the movement that can put some
children's lives at risk."
An estimated 850,000 children are being homeschooled in the
U.S., about 2 percent of the nation's total number of school-aged
children, according to CBS.
On Monday, CBS News correspondent Vince Gonzales
previewed the following day's segment by saying: "Tomorrow,
how children nationwide have been put in danger, even killed
while homeschooling."
The two-part report included several examples of parents who
had "taught their children at home" but who had ended up
abusing and killing the children. Texas mother Andrea Yates,
who drowned her five children in a bathtub, was listed as one of
the examples. The series concluded by noting that no states
require "criminal background checks" of the parents who
homeschool their children.
But homeschooling advocates like Young are crying foul.
"It was plain from the tone of [CBS News'] interview with me that
they had already made up their mind how the story was going to
spin out, and they were simply fishing for sound bites in the
questions that they were asking," Young told CNSNews.com.
In Monday's first part, correspondent Gonzales reported on the
double murder, suicide involving two teenage children killed by
their brother, who subsequently took his own life in Johnston
County, N.C. The CBS News report noted that the three children
had all been homeschooled and were outside the observation of
the county and state educational systems.
But J. Michael Smith, president of the Virginia-based Home
School Legal Defense Association, said CBS News left out key
aspects of the family tragedy.
The CBS report did include one reference to how the parents of
the North Carolina children had tried to prevent social workers
from visiting their youngsters, but Smith said, "missing from the
CBS story was that [North Carolina State] Social Services had
contacted the family 11 times, were well aware of the condition of
the home and had been working with the family."
According to Smith, "any fair-minded" viewer of the broadcast
would have been left with the impression "that homeschooling
equals child abuse."
The first of the CBS reports, Smith said, was a "shameless
attempt to smear an entire community of committed, dedicated
parents."
"We are outraged that CBS would ignore the obvious facts and
draw the erroneous conclusion that homeschoolers need to be
strictly regulated," he added.
The second segment on homeschooling concluded with CBS
News hinting that parents needed to be investigated for their
children to be adequately protected.
"Unlike teachers, in 38 states and the District of Columbia,
parents need virtually no qualifications to homeschool. Not one
state requires criminal background checks to see if parents have
abuse convictions," Gonzales said during the broadcast.
Young was surprised CBS would imply that parents needed to
get "criminal background checks."
"That says that CBS feels all parents are suspect, and a criminal
background check would probably be in order," Young said. "Not
just home educators, but all parents of preschoolers, parents of
children who are home for summer vacation," he added.
Young also questioned CBS's motives for criticizing the lack of
state mandated criminal background checks for parents.
"Do they have an agenda that families should be presumed
dysfunctional and in need of government intervention in the
raising of their own children?" Young asked.
'Out of the public eye'
At the beginning of Tuesday's second segment, Rather
conceded that the "overwhelming majority" of parents who
homeschool "have only the best interests of their children at
heart."
But then, Rather introduced Gonzales's report by telling his
audience: "A CBS News investigation found dozens of cases of
parents convicted or accused of murder or child abuse who were
teaching their children at home, out of the public eye."
Gonzales then profiled several cases nationwide in which
homeschooled children had been allegedly killed by their
parents.
"Andrea Yates gained national attention when she drowned her
five children in a bathtub. Deanna Laney told investigators she
beat her three sons with rocks, killing two of them. Both mothers
taught their children at home," Gonzales said in the report
broadcast Tuesday evening.
Gonzales also found the "private dark side" in the education of a
National Spelling Bee participant.
"Marjorie Lavery says her father beat her before the National
Spelling Bee, then threatened to kill her after she came in
second. He pleaded guilty to child endangerment after she
testified about years of cruelty," Gonzales explained on the air.
Ian M. Slatter, the director of media relations at the Home School
Legal Defense Association, said the CBS News reports were
completely off base.
"They profiled some very troubling cases, [that] while tragic, did
not have anything to do with homeschooling. Homeschooling
was not the cause of the tragedies," Slatter told CNSNews.com.
"We definitely believe for CBS to broadcast this story, [the
network] displays a bias against homeschooling," Slatter added.
CBS News Publicist Andie Silvers released a network statement
on the criticism from homeschooling advocates.
"These reports examined a group of people who are using
homeschooling as an excuse to hide the physical abuse they
inflict on their children, a disturbing reality in this country," the
CBS statement read. "CBS News clearly reported that the
majority of parents who homeschool their kids are doing a fine
job of teaching and raising their children.'"
'Smearing homeschoolers'
Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research
Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, said CBS
News was attempting to discredit the whole homeschool
movement.
"CBS is doing two things wrong here. First, it's smearing
homeschoolers by association with child-killers like Andrea
Yates and perpetuating a stereotype that homeschoolers are
dangerous parents," Graham said.
"Second, it's producing a heavy-handed advertisement for more
regulation, insisting that only more government bureaucrats can
prevent child homicides and suggesting that public schools are
a much safer option," Graham added.
Despite CBS's negative portrayal of homeschooling, the practice
has defenders in high places.
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, and a senior
fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told
CNSNews.com last April that homeschooling was a viable
solution to poor public schools.
"I think homeschooling is one of the greatly to be admired
phenomena of our times. Families who have undertaken it have
produced some kids who know a remarkable amount and
perform remarkably well," Cheney said.
Keep the letters & calls going my friends!
It is making them notice!
Vicky
CBS Needs Education on Homeschooling, Say Advocates
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
October 16, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - Homeschooling advocates are accusing CBS
News of trying to damage their reputation with a two-part report
focusing on the "dark side" of the "largely unregulated"
homeschool movement. The reports aired Monday and Tuesday
nights.
"Those who may be opposed to home education are digging
around the bottom of the barrel, looking for marginal cases,
families who have troubles that far exceed any educational
question," said Hal Young, president of North Carolinians for
Home Education.
Young was the only person in the Eye on America segments
who defended the practice of homeschooling.
According to the CBS reports, the practice of educating children
at home carries with it the risk that children will be abused or
even "killed while homeschooling."
While previewing the Eye on America investigation during CBS's
The Early Show Monday morning, Rather said the following:
"Homeschooling has produced some brilliant young minds, but
there is a dark side to the movement that can put some
children's lives at risk."
An estimated 850,000 children are being homeschooled in the
U.S., about 2 percent of the nation's total number of school-aged
children, according to CBS.
On Monday, CBS News correspondent Vince Gonzales
previewed the following day's segment by saying: "Tomorrow,
how children nationwide have been put in danger, even killed
while homeschooling."
The two-part report included several examples of parents who
had "taught their children at home" but who had ended up
abusing and killing the children. Texas mother Andrea Yates,
who drowned her five children in a bathtub, was listed as one of
the examples. The series concluded by noting that no states
require "criminal background checks" of the parents who
homeschool their children.
But homeschooling advocates like Young are crying foul.
"It was plain from the tone of [CBS News'] interview with me that
they had already made up their mind how the story was going to
spin out, and they were simply fishing for sound bites in the
questions that they were asking," Young told CNSNews.com.
In Monday's first part, correspondent Gonzales reported on the
double murder, suicide involving two teenage children killed by
their brother, who subsequently took his own life in Johnston
County, N.C. The CBS News report noted that the three children
had all been homeschooled and were outside the observation of
the county and state educational systems.
But J. Michael Smith, president of the Virginia-based Home
School Legal Defense Association, said CBS News left out key
aspects of the family tragedy.
The CBS report did include one reference to how the parents of
the North Carolina children had tried to prevent social workers
from visiting their youngsters, but Smith said, "missing from the
CBS story was that [North Carolina State] Social Services had
contacted the family 11 times, were well aware of the condition of
the home and had been working with the family."
According to Smith, "any fair-minded" viewer of the broadcast
would have been left with the impression "that homeschooling
equals child abuse."
The first of the CBS reports, Smith said, was a "shameless
attempt to smear an entire community of committed, dedicated
parents."
"We are outraged that CBS would ignore the obvious facts and
draw the erroneous conclusion that homeschoolers need to be
strictly regulated," he added.
The second segment on homeschooling concluded with CBS
News hinting that parents needed to be investigated for their
children to be adequately protected.
"Unlike teachers, in 38 states and the District of Columbia,
parents need virtually no qualifications to homeschool. Not one
state requires criminal background checks to see if parents have
abuse convictions," Gonzales said during the broadcast.
Young was surprised CBS would imply that parents needed to
get "criminal background checks."
"That says that CBS feels all parents are suspect, and a criminal
background check would probably be in order," Young said. "Not
just home educators, but all parents of preschoolers, parents of
children who are home for summer vacation," he added.
Young also questioned CBS's motives for criticizing the lack of
state mandated criminal background checks for parents.
"Do they have an agenda that families should be presumed
dysfunctional and in need of government intervention in the
raising of their own children?" Young asked.
'Out of the public eye'
At the beginning of Tuesday's second segment, Rather
conceded that the "overwhelming majority" of parents who
homeschool "have only the best interests of their children at
heart."
But then, Rather introduced Gonzales's report by telling his
audience: "A CBS News investigation found dozens of cases of
parents convicted or accused of murder or child abuse who were
teaching their children at home, out of the public eye."
Gonzales then profiled several cases nationwide in which
homeschooled children had been allegedly killed by their
parents.
"Andrea Yates gained national attention when she drowned her
five children in a bathtub. Deanna Laney told investigators she
beat her three sons with rocks, killing two of them. Both mothers
taught their children at home," Gonzales said in the report
broadcast Tuesday evening.
Gonzales also found the "private dark side" in the education of a
National Spelling Bee participant.
"Marjorie Lavery says her father beat her before the National
Spelling Bee, then threatened to kill her after she came in
second. He pleaded guilty to child endangerment after she
testified about years of cruelty," Gonzales explained on the air.
Ian M. Slatter, the director of media relations at the Home School
Legal Defense Association, said the CBS News reports were
completely off base.
"They profiled some very troubling cases, [that] while tragic, did
not have anything to do with homeschooling. Homeschooling
was not the cause of the tragedies," Slatter told CNSNews.com.
"We definitely believe for CBS to broadcast this story, [the
network] displays a bias against homeschooling," Slatter added.
CBS News Publicist Andie Silvers released a network statement
on the criticism from homeschooling advocates.
"These reports examined a group of people who are using
homeschooling as an excuse to hide the physical abuse they
inflict on their children, a disturbing reality in this country," the
CBS statement read. "CBS News clearly reported that the
majority of parents who homeschool their kids are doing a fine
job of teaching and raising their children.'"
'Smearing homeschoolers'
Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research
Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, said CBS
News was attempting to discredit the whole homeschool
movement.
"CBS is doing two things wrong here. First, it's smearing
homeschoolers by association with child-killers like Andrea
Yates and perpetuating a stereotype that homeschoolers are
dangerous parents," Graham said.
"Second, it's producing a heavy-handed advertisement for more
regulation, insisting that only more government bureaucrats can
prevent child homicides and suggesting that public schools are
a much safer option," Graham added.
Despite CBS's negative portrayal of homeschooling, the practice
has defenders in high places.
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, and a senior
fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told
CNSNews.com last April that homeschooling was a viable
solution to poor public schools.
"I think homeschooling is one of the greatly to be admired
phenomena of our times. Families who have undertaken it have
produced some kids who know a remarkable amount and
perform remarkably well," Cheney said.
Betsy
**The series concluded by noting that no states
require "criminal background checks" of the parents who
homeschool their children.**
Is the government considering preventing criminals from having children?
That would be different.
Betsy
require "criminal background checks" of the parents who
homeschool their children.**
Is the government considering preventing criminals from having children?
That would be different.
Betsy