In the midst of the
controversy over ABC's upcoming propaganda docudrama, "Path to 9/11", it was called to my attention that Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology, had created a classroom discussion guide for the 6-hour miniseries. The problem with this guide was that it did not make clear that this was a docudrama that had taken "creative" license with historical facts and was not a documentary strictly based on the factual findings of the 9/11 commission as the film's creators dishonestly purport. Yesterday, after reading Scholastic's documents, I sent the following email to their CEO, Richard Robinson, and included a few examples of the errors in both the film and their classroom discussion guide that had surfaced over recent days here on Daily Kos and elsewhere.
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 2:38 PM
To: Robinson, Dick
Cc: Investor Relations
Subject: Scholastic's 9/11 Discussion Guide
Richard Robinson,
I am very concerned about some questions in your Scholastic's 9/11 Discussion Guide, which relate to events that never occurred. Your introduction also does not make it clear that this ABC miniseries is a "Docudrama" and in many cases chose to invent scenes for the sake of drama rather than historical accuracy.
For example your guide asks (ironically as a "critical thinking question"):
Why didn't the United States provide assistance to General Massoud of the Northern Alliance to fight the Taliban? Why did U.S. officials ignore General Massoud's warnings that bin Laden might strike?
Here are a few examples of how this information, which you are telling students is factual, is actually a fabrication.
Roger Cressey: Then they got the big stuff wrong, this fantasy about how we had a CIA officer and the Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Massoud looking at Bin Laden and they breathlessly call the White House to say we need to take him out and the White House said no.
Think Progress:
1. Contrary to the movie, no US military or CIA personnel were on the ground in Afghanistan and saw bin Laden.
2. Contrary to the movie, the head of the Northern Alliance, Masood, was no where near the alleged bin Laden camp and did not see UBL.
3. Contrary to the movie, the CIA Director actually said that he could not recommend a strike on the camp because the information was single sourced and we would have no way to know if bin Laden was in the target area by the time a cruise missile hit it.
Thomas H. Kean: "I pointed out the fact that the scene involving Afghanistan and the attempt to get bin Laden is a composite," Mr. Kean said, adding that the miniseries format required some conflation of events. But, he said, "The basic fact is that on a number of occasions, they thought they might have been able to get bin Laden, and on those occasions, the plug was pulled for various reasons."
Mr. Kean conceded that some points might have been more drama than documentary. "Some of the people shown there probably weren't there," he said.
Actual critical thinking should lead students (and you) to the conclusion that this docudrama and your discussion guide are flawed. I don't see how this is a service to the public or our students. I will no longer be supporting Scholastic, if you cannot discern between fact and fiction.
Concerned educator,
.................
Surprisingly I received a pretty rapid response.
On Sep 6, 2006, at 2:49 PM, news wrote:
Your email regarding the 9/11 Classroom Discussion Guide created by Scholastic was forwarded to me, and I am pleased to respond to your concerns. Once the materials are posted online, you will be able to access the complete discussion guide at www.scholastic.com/pathto911, and I hope you will take time to review the content for yourself.
Scholastic does not take a position regarding the ABC miniseries, "The Path to 911." What we have done is to create a Classroom Discussion Guide for high school teachers with content that is balanced, fair and open-ended. Two of the key objectives of the guide are "to engage critical-thinking and critical-viewing skills" and "to remind students to view what they absorb from the media with a critical eye." We trust that teachers will take the information we provide and encourage their students to evaluate the content of the miniseries against these facts and other resources and research that are available to them. These materials are provided free of charge to teachers in grades 9 to 12 who can choose whether or not to utilize the lessons in their classrooms.
Scholastic appreciates hearing from teachers, parents, and others who use or evaluate our services. Your comments will be shared with our editorial staff who continue to seek to improve the quality of the materials we create for use in schools and homes. Please review the content of the 9/11 classroom guide when it is posted online and consider the opportunity it offers for developing critical thinking and relevant, timely discussion among high school students who have grown up in the post-9/11 era.
Sincerely
Kyle Good
Vice President, Corporate Communications & Media Relations
Scholastic Inc.
news@scholastic.com
I was a little confused by the "once the materials are posted online" statement, since I had just read the guide on the Scholastic website that morning. It appears that I was not the only one that had written them. The documents indeed had been removed from their site. I responded:
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 2:56 AM
To: news
Subject: Re: Scholastic's 9/11 Discussion Guide
I already saw your materials posted online this morning. That is what I was responding to. I understand that you have removed the material since I sent my earlier email. I believe this is the correct decision on the part of Scholastic. I hope this is a permanent correction. Users of Scholastic materials are usually on the educated and critical thinking end of the spectrum. We will not support the spreading of factual distortions and fictional drama as if it is a historically accurate document. I hope this is the realization that Scholastic has come to.
Thank you,
.................
Today I received another email from Scholastic.
SCHOLASTIC REPLACES "THE PATH TO 9/11" CLASSROOM GUIDE WITH NEW DISCUSSION MATERIALS FOCUSING ON CRITICAL THINKING AND MEDIA LITERACY SKILLS
September 7, 2006 - New York, NY -- Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, today announced that it is removing from its website the materials originally created for classroom use in conjunction with the ABC Television Network docudrama, "The Path to 9/1l," scheduled to air on the ABC Television Network on September 10 and 11, 2006. A new classroom discussion guide for high school students is being created and will focus more specifically on media literacy, critical thinking, and historical background.
"After a thorough review of the original guide that we offered online to about 25,000 high school teachers, we determined that the materials did not meet our high standards for dealing with controversial issues," said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic. "At the same time, we believe that developing critical thinking and media literacy skills is crucial for students in today's society in order to participate fully in our democracy and that a program such as `The Path to 9/11' provides a very `teachable moment' for developing these skills at the high school level. We encourage teachers not to shy away from the controversy surrounding the program, but rather to engage their students in meaningful, in-depth discussion."
The new guide clearly states that Scholastic had no involvement with developing the ABC docudrama, and that the company is not promoting the program, but that the program can provide a springboard to discussion about the issues leading up to 9/11, terrorism and the Middle East. The guide will focus on three issues:
1. Media Literacy - what is a docudrama; how does it differ from a documentary; what are the differences between factual reporting and a dramatization?
2. Background to 9/11 - what are some of the causes of unrest in the Middle East and other parts of the world that give rise to attacks on the U.S. and other countries?
3. Geography and Culture -- there is a long history of conflict in the Middle East. How well do students understand each of the countries involved and what influences their behavior?
Scholastic has been providing free educational materials for use in the classroom in conjunction with television programs and films since the 1950's. Classroom discussion guides have also been created in the past to support discussion of major events such as the Challenger and Columbia shuttle disasters, the shootings at Columbine and many others.
"As we have done with many discussion guides in the past related to major events, we encourage teachers to engage their students in these important discussions about news, media and public opinion. Understanding and evaluating media messages can be challenging for adults and young people alike and developing media literacy skills is critical for students in order for them to be well-informed participants in our democratic society," added Robinson.
The Scholastic mission is clearly stated in its credo and editorial platform which includes the statement: "Good citizens may honestly differ on important public questions. We believe that all sides of the issues of our times should be fairly discussed - with deep respect for facts and logical thinking - in classroom magazines, books and other educational materials used in schools and homes."
The new guide will be available on Friday, September 8 at www.scholastic.com/medialiteracy.
Contact:
Kyle Good
212-343-4563
kgood@scholastic.com
I am pleased to see that Scholastic has recognized its error and appears to be responding in a responsible manner. I will hold my final judgment until after I read the new discussion guide tomorrow. Of course, the best result would be the complete termination of the project.
UPDATE: (9/08/06) The new Scholastic Discussion Guide is an improvement over the original version. Rather than merely responding to the scenes of the docudrama as if they were accurate, the new focus is on comparing the scenes in the docudrama with the actual 9/11 Commission Report and other objective sources on the history of this period. Although this attention to critical thinking is much improved, it is disappointing that Scholastic had not come to this conclusion on their own and that they had already sent out over 25,000 copies of the original version of the guide.
Regardless of the Scholastic incident, my larger concern is that the majority of Americans will not be viewing this error filled docudrama with the same critical lense that is now being promoted by Scholastic. It's a sad day when corporations and the government collaborate to spread propaganda in America, especially on a topic as painful and serious as 9/11. It is important that all Americans continue to be vigilant and demand that our press and government tell the truth and represent history in a factual and honest light.