Expelled exposed


NCSE's new website ExpelledExposed is experiencing high traffic and winning high praise. And no wonder: in addition to concise and reliable information on the mistaken and misleading claims of the creationist propaganda film Expelled, a discussion of the dishonest tactics of the movie's producers, and a burgeoning collection of links of reviews and news coverage, it also features a special video segment commissioned by NCSE about someone who really was "expelled" over creationism: Chris Comer, the Texas education official who was forced to resign after announcing a lecture by Barbara Forrest. Bookmark the site and visit it often: it will be constantly updated with new material -- including new video segments -- over the next few weeks.

A brand-new feature there: the "Set Ben Straight" contest. In promoting the creationist propaganda film Expelled, Ben Stein managed to stick his foot in his mouth over and over again, issuing what seemed to be a ceaseless stream of ignorant, offensive, and just plain daffy claims. Here's your chance to set Ben straight. Send your favorite claim with a short, well-documented, and well-reasoned refutation. We'll post the best for all the world to see. And five lucky entrants will receive a year's subscription to Reports of the NCSE along with their choice of a book from NCSE's shelf. But you only have ten days, and a wealth of silliness to examine, so act now! Full contest details are available on the ExpelledExposed website.

Writing in the Guardian (April 15, 2008), Adam Rutherford says, "Fortunately, the cavalry have arrived right on cue in the form of the US national centre for science education and its head -- Eugenie Scott -- herself another duped contributor to Expelled. They have launched Expelled Exposed, a counter-offensive website which tells more honest stories behind these so-called martyrs." Blogging for Americans United (April 17, 2008), Rob Boston recommends ExpelledExposed as providing "a wealth of resources debunking the claims of 'Expelled.'" And in eSkeptic (April 17, 2008), Michael Shermer similarly praises "www.expelledexposed.com, where physical anthropologist Eugenie Scott and her tireless crew at the National Center for Science Education have tracked down the specifics of each case."