Members of The Young Americans Foundation and Campus Reform this week reported that a University of Georgia professor assigned students a project and told them not to cite conservative-leaning news sources, such as FOX News.
Both groups identified that man as Scott Connelly, a UGA ecology professor.
YAF posted a screenshot of an assignment Connelly handed out on March 11.
“For this assignment, please do an Internet search, or rely on information from reliable news sources that you already read (factually reliable news sources include media such as BBC, CNN, NYTimes, ABC News, etc. Please do not draw from questionable sources such as National Inquirer, FOX News, OAN, blogs, etc.),” Connelly wrote.
“Find either a case study or environmental news story that describes or highlights some sort of technology, innovation, or project related to sustainable energy.”
YAF reported that they contacted Connelly for comment. Connelly reportedly said the following:
“This has absolutely nothing to do with ‘conservative media outlets’, and I am at a complete loss as to why you are jumping to that conclusion,” Connelly wrote.
“This has to do with scientifically accurate news pieces that focus on the topic we are studying… it will be much easier to complete the assignment in a reasonable amount of time if students start with the reliable news organizations that I suggested, which have run countless articles that are scientifically factually correct and also address the topic we are studying.”
YAF went on to opine that “Connelly is one of many across the nation who let their own ideological biases take precedence in the classroom. Labeling conservative media outlets as ‘questionable,’ while touting left-leaning sources like CNN and The New York Times as ‘reliable’ for student usage is as blatant as bias gets in the classroom.”
The writers at Campus Reform, citing Media Bias Fact Check, said CNN has the same amount of left bias as FOX News has right bias, while The New York Times has left-of-center bias.
Members of YAF, according to their website, want to ensure that “increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.”
According to the Campus Reform website, members of that group work to expose what they call “liberal bias and abuse on the nation’s college campuses.”
Connelly, according to his UGA website, is interested in ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss, captive amphibian husbandry, stream-water quality and quantity issues in Costa Rica.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Scott Connelly” by The University of Georgia.
That clown prof look like he got hair spray on his John Lennon communist glasses.
If the Professor wishes to direct the students for not using particular sources for material in their submissions, he must be prepared to support this direction with facts and be prepared for counter points in a debate he instigated.
Unfortunately today, the Left-wing bias has no use for for facts when they impede an agenda.
To Hell with GA
You mean like the scientific hard hitting investigative reporting NBC did on exploding saddle gas tanks on Chevy trucks?
The prof is unbiased because he says so.
He’s in love with his mirror.
So cringe. The “accurate” news organizations he suggested retract so many bogus stories, whereas the last blunder I can remember from Fox was Seth Rich.
But at least he didn’t use Washington Post as an accurate source.
Even though it has a left or center-left bias, NPR seems to be able to pay reporters enough to do research instead have the articles written by bots & aggregators. Still, any research for education done using “media” will always be narrative based and mostly useless, so if he was going to recommend sources he should have stuck to industry-specific magazines/bulletins for experts, entrepreneurs, investors, etc, or book publishers, forums, etc.
I suppose you can’t blame him for incompetence when he probably was educated in the USA.
Fox News still thinks the world is flat lol!
This is my editorial comment. The professor is merely an employee at a very reputable state college. We don’t employ you for your personal preference. Related to the topics you teach, facts are essential. However it is the implication that this your personal message regarding news outlets and which ones should or should not be used.
As a grandparent helping with my granddaughter’s UGA expenses, your personal preference does not matter tome nor is it welcome. If the student chose a site with inaccurate or misinformation, grade their assignment accordingly. .
Telling the truth garnered from factual scientific media that isn’t likely to appear on FOX, OAN, Newsmax, or, for that matter from the mouth of a former President isn’t wrong. These sources gripe about people not taking them serious and then report complete lies about scientific topics.
And your proof of such supposed lies is?
This is your basis for validation? “Telling the truth garnered from factual scientific media” To lockdown that scientific information/knowledge is absolute and can’t be questioned is rather unscientific. Was it not once believed the world is flat? How about the sun revolves around the earth? It seems you have determined you and the limited acceptable sources available to quote are the only factual sources. While I graduated many years ago a goal was instilled by the professors I had. i.e. You have attained a knowledge in school which you should always strive to disprove. It would seem the UGA course study is not focused on education but rather indoctrination.
Be careful, your bias is showing!