Media Matters: Media Repeat Unsubstantiated Horowitz Tale of Campus Bias

[Hissyspit]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200503080001
(The response of the professor to this pathetic manipulation by both the student and Horowitz is contained in the second article below...)

Media repeat unsubstantiated Horowitz tale of anti-conservative bias on campus

As part of a campaign to promote an "Academic Bill of Rights" on college and university campuses, conservative pundit David Horowitz has repeatedly cited an incident in which he claims that a criminology professor at the University of Northern Colorado asked students to explain "why President Bush was a war criminal" for a mid-term exam essay, then failed a student who chose instead to explain why Saddam Hussein is a war criminal. Horowitz claimed that this student testified to her experience at a special hearing before the Colorado state legislature in December 2003. But Horowitz has never provided the names of the professor or the student, and transcripts of the hearing to which Horowitz himself linked do not mention the incident. Nonetheless, the alleged incident has been repeated in several national media outlets.

Horowitz is the founder of Students for Academic Freedom (SAF), an organization that describes itself as "a clearing house and communications center for a national coalition of student organizations whose goal is to end the political abuse of the university and to restore integrity to the academic mission as a disinterested pursuit of knowledge." SAF promotes Horowitz's "Academic Bill of Rights" and lists instances of alleged anti-conservative bias on campuses across the country, including the alleged episode at the University of Northern Colorado. The SAF website itself does not identify the University of Northern Colorado as the site of the alleged "war criminal" incident occurred -- it refers instead to "a Colorado university" and is the only one of the 12 such incidents on the SAF list for which no specific institution is identified -- but Horowitz has identified the University of Northern Colorado as the site of the incident in other forums.

In a September 13, 2004, article in FrontPageMag.com, of which Horowitz is co-founder and editor-in-chief, he wrote about the December 2003 hearing before the Colorado state legislature: "Among the evidence presented at this December hearing was testimony from a student at the University of Northern Colorado who told legislators that a required essay topic on her criminology mid-term exam was: 'Explain why George Bush is a war criminal.' When she submitted an essay explaining why Saddam Hussein was a war criminal instead, she was given an 'F.'" The article contained a link to a transcript of the December 18, 2003, hearing, hosted on the SAF website (page 1 and page 2). But the transcript itself contains no mention of the "University of Northern Colorado," "Saddam Hussein," "war criminal," "war crimes," "criminology," or anything else to indicate that any such incident was discussed at the hearing. A search for "Bush" turns up unrelated references.

Notwithstanding his failure to document the alleged incident, Horowitz has repeatedly pushed this story as an example of what he considers anti-conservative bias in America's universities. In a December 5, 2003, FrontPageMag.com column, Horowitz referenced the story, though he attributed it to "a Colorado university," not to the University of Northern Colorado. Other publications have cited the alleged incident, including The Christian Science Monitor; The New York Sun (registration required); and an op-ed on OpinionJournal.com, the website of the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, by Brian C. Anderson, senior editor of City Journal, a quarterly magazine published by the conservative Manhattan Institute.

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Related story:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200502220005

Hannity & Colmes, Horowitz ignored facts undermining GOP student's claim that professor failed him for "pro-American" paper

Foothill College student Ahmad al-Qloushi -- who claims that he received a failing grade on a term paper about the U.S. Constitution because it was "pro-American" and whose allegations have been publicized by right-wing pundit David Horowitz -- appeared as a guest on the February 17 edition of FOX News' Hannity & Colmes. But no one on the show mentioned that al-Qloushi's professor disputes his version of events, that al-Qloushi's claims were originally publicized by the Foothill College Republicans (of which al-Qloushi is president), or that al-Qloushi has been touted by Horowitz to promote Horowitz's right-wing university campus initiatives.

"The Foothill College Republicans blasted faxes to reporters this month complaining that a professor had forced a student to see the college therapist merely because the student wrote a pro-American essay," the San Jose Mercury News reported on December 26, 2004. On January 6, Horowitz's right-wing website FrontPageMag.com posted an article by al-Qloushi about the incident. The Washington Times ran an January 16 article titled "California professor flunks Kuwaiti's pro-U.S. essay," in which it relayed al-Qloushi's claims and noted only that "Mr. Woolcock did not respond to telephone and e-mail inquiries." On February 1, al-Qloushi appeared on a segment of ABC's World News Tonight about "conservatives who claim they are victims of a double standard on college campuses," where his assertion that "I was attacked and intimidated because I love America" went unchallenged.

- snip -

When I read the paper, it became clear to me that it did not respond to the question. In late November, after grading all final papers, I asked Mr. al-Qloushi to come and discuss with me the grade. ... e expressed in great detail, concerns and feelings of high anxiety he was having about certain developments which had occurred over ten years ago in his country. Some aspects of his concerns were similar to certain concerns expressed in his paper.

Based on the nature of the concerns and the feelings of high anxiety which he expressed, I encouraged him to visit one of the college counselors. I neither forced nor ordered Mr. al-Qloushi to see a counselor; I have no authority to do so. My suggestion to him was a recommendation he freely chose to accept and which he acknowledged in an e-mail message to me on December 1, 2004.

- snip -

Al-Qloushi's essay, which is posted on Horowitz's Students for Academic Freedom website, has been described by conservative blogger and political science professor James Joyner as "an incredibly poorly written, error-ridden, pabulum-filled , essay that essentially ignores the question put forth by the instructor." Another conservative blogger, political science professor Steven Taylor, concluded: "I can see how this essay resulted in a failing grade."

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[wtmusic]

1. I've noticed a very strong anti-stupidity bias at many universities

I can't believe they'd actually give her an "F" for not completing an assignment!! :silly:

[madfloridian]

2. Kicking this for its importance.

I know some professors who have suffered from being targeted, so I take this stuff very seriously.

[Skidmore]

3. David Horowitz is the new McCarthy minus the power of

political office. He and Lynn Cheney are particularly dangerous to free speech and thought.

[Toots]

4. And did you hear that Liberals are spitting on soldiers????

It is their MO. Tell a lie and tell it over and over until it becomes the truth.....