A WISE MAN DISMISSES NOTHING OUT OF HAND - Bias at Dateline NBC
Steve Bass
September 16, 2008
At the end of August I was availed the opportunity to watch Dateline NBC´s presentation 10 Close Encounters Caught on Tape. The more I watched, the more the frustration factor increased.
Hosted by Hoda Kotb, this attempt at serious journalism first hits with miserable attempts at childish humor. With a subject that begs for serious consideration, the viewing public is handed a comedic travesty.
Beyond the comedic failings of its host, the presentation includes commentary by James Oberg, NBC´s Space Analyst. Kotb fails to mention Oberg´s credentials beyond his work as a "rocket scientist" with NASA. A very bright individual, James Oberg devotes much of his time to an organization named CSISOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), renamed CSI (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). CSI has earned a reputation within the Ufology community as a group of over-zealous debunkers, known for going to any length to disprove the UFO phenomena. Often these attempts stretch into negligence, omission, and falsification. You are left wondering if CSICOP felt the need to change its name to try to shed this image and start fresh on its attacks of Ufologists. By the way, Oberg has also worked as a consultant for Skeptical Inquirer, a publication of CSI.
So maybe Dateline wanted to develop a more balanced presentation? That could be the case had they not sought additional commentary from Robert Sheaffer, a founding member of CSI who has also written for the magazine Skeptical Inquirer, and Michael Schermer, founder of the Skeptic Society and editor of their publication Skeptic.
Note that each of these individuals call themselves "skeptics", defined as a person who specializes in questioning what others purport to be fact. Sounds like a good idea on the surface, until you note that each of these self-styled skeptics make a livelihood out of calling everyone liars.
Throughout the episode, Kotb allows each of these skeptics to make unfounded statements that are not rebutted. Schermer makes a statement about fifteen minutes into the program that all UFO sightings are never consistent with each other. He also refers to evidence as "nebulous" and "fuzzy". Obviously, Schermer has never really studied the UFO phenomena, never learning that such a consistency exists that UFO investigators can actually classify sightings based on type of sighting, type of craft, and type of entity involved, if any. UFO´s are classified by color, size, and other physical characteristics, movement and actions, effects on the witnesses, effects on nearby animals, trace evidence recovered, even whether military aircraft was spotted in the area during or immediately following the sighting. Never consistent? I don´t think so.
The presentation was further tarnished by silly special effects; showing aliens looking in windows, aliens tanning on a beach, and clips from Star Trek.
To be fair, Dateline did seek commentary from Dr. Bruce Maccabee, Ph.D. Dr. Maccabee earned his Bachelors of Science in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and his Masters and Doctorate in physics at American University in Washington, DC. He works as an optical physicist and is retired from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, working on optical data processing, generation of underwater sound with lasers and various aspects of the Strategic Defense Initiative and Ballistic Missile Defense using high power lasers. Dr. Maccabee is also an accomplished lecturer, writer, and the Maryland State Director for the Mutual UFO Network.
With such a learned and accomplished man making himself available, you would think Dateline would capitalize on it. Unfortunately, we are treated to only small sound bytes that do little to acknowledge the investment of personal research and interest by him into the very stories being presented. Dr. Maccabee is relegated to snippets aimed at introducing some of the stories. This is disappointing, because I enjoy anything featuring Bruce Maccabee.
Three to one is far from a fair fight, so it is interesting that Dateline would further hinder the truth from coming out. Interestingly, Dr. Maccabee is the very definition of skeptic, using his talent to research each case he comes into contact with, discarding those he can recognize as a hoax or mistaken identity, and committing additional efforts to those he cannot identify, which is the very definition of an Unidentified Flying Object.
Believe me folks; we do not just need comedic attempts at skepticism. We need wise skeptics, those who dismiss nothing out of hand. That is probably the best definition of an investigator I can find.
Hosted by Hoda Kotb, this attempt at serious journalism first hits with miserable attempts at childish humor. With a subject that begs for serious consideration, the viewing public is handed a comedic travesty.
Beyond the comedic failings of its host, the presentation includes commentary by James Oberg, NBC´s Space Analyst. Kotb fails to mention Oberg´s credentials beyond his work as a "rocket scientist" with NASA. A very bright individual, James Oberg devotes much of his time to an organization named CSISOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), renamed CSI (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry). CSI has earned a reputation within the Ufology community as a group of over-zealous debunkers, known for going to any length to disprove the UFO phenomena. Often these attempts stretch into negligence, omission, and falsification. You are left wondering if CSICOP felt the need to change its name to try to shed this image and start fresh on its attacks of Ufologists. By the way, Oberg has also worked as a consultant for Skeptical Inquirer, a publication of CSI.
So maybe Dateline wanted to develop a more balanced presentation? That could be the case had they not sought additional commentary from Robert Sheaffer, a founding member of CSI who has also written for the magazine Skeptical Inquirer, and Michael Schermer, founder of the Skeptic Society and editor of their publication Skeptic.
Note that each of these individuals call themselves "skeptics", defined as a person who specializes in questioning what others purport to be fact. Sounds like a good idea on the surface, until you note that each of these self-styled skeptics make a livelihood out of calling everyone liars.
Throughout the episode, Kotb allows each of these skeptics to make unfounded statements that are not rebutted. Schermer makes a statement about fifteen minutes into the program that all UFO sightings are never consistent with each other. He also refers to evidence as "nebulous" and "fuzzy". Obviously, Schermer has never really studied the UFO phenomena, never learning that such a consistency exists that UFO investigators can actually classify sightings based on type of sighting, type of craft, and type of entity involved, if any. UFO´s are classified by color, size, and other physical characteristics, movement and actions, effects on the witnesses, effects on nearby animals, trace evidence recovered, even whether military aircraft was spotted in the area during or immediately following the sighting. Never consistent? I don´t think so.
The presentation was further tarnished by silly special effects; showing aliens looking in windows, aliens tanning on a beach, and clips from Star Trek.
To be fair, Dateline did seek commentary from Dr. Bruce Maccabee, Ph.D. Dr. Maccabee earned his Bachelors of Science in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and his Masters and Doctorate in physics at American University in Washington, DC. He works as an optical physicist and is retired from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, working on optical data processing, generation of underwater sound with lasers and various aspects of the Strategic Defense Initiative and Ballistic Missile Defense using high power lasers. Dr. Maccabee is also an accomplished lecturer, writer, and the Maryland State Director for the Mutual UFO Network.
With such a learned and accomplished man making himself available, you would think Dateline would capitalize on it. Unfortunately, we are treated to only small sound bytes that do little to acknowledge the investment of personal research and interest by him into the very stories being presented. Dr. Maccabee is relegated to snippets aimed at introducing some of the stories. This is disappointing, because I enjoy anything featuring Bruce Maccabee.
Three to one is far from a fair fight, so it is interesting that Dateline would further hinder the truth from coming out. Interestingly, Dr. Maccabee is the very definition of skeptic, using his talent to research each case he comes into contact with, discarding those he can recognize as a hoax or mistaken identity, and committing additional efforts to those he cannot identify, which is the very definition of an Unidentified Flying Object.
Believe me folks; we do not just need comedic attempts at skepticism. We need wise skeptics, those who dismiss nothing out of hand. That is probably the best definition of an investigator I can find.