Discovery Channel Owes Us An Apology

Written by Brian MillercloseAuthor: Brian Miller Name: Brian Miller
Email: brian@summit912.org
Site: http://www.meatandpotatoes.org
About: Brian is a small business owner, historian, and active member of the Tea Party movement in Northeastern Ohio. Brian is currently working on his new book with a name to be announced soon.See Authors Posts (13) on October 28, 2009

I have been quite active in the Tea Party movement here in Northeastern Ohio, including helping to organize the largest one in the state, with over 7,000 people in attendance.  Amazingly, this event (which happened on a Thursday evening) grew to include a simo-cast from a local radio station and drew such a crowd, it practically shut down the six-lane freeway into town.

I’m not tooting my own horn here, just demonstrating that a majority of the public in is in favor of the Tea Party movement and the values it represents.  This was even more evident when over a million people made their way to Washington, D.C. to create the largest protest in American history.

After yet another weekend of Tea Parties where I again addressed and joined thousands of people, I returned home to relax and watch a little TV.  I frequently watch shows on the Discovery Channel networks in order to take a break from the daily grind of sit-coms, drama, reality TV and the 24 hour news cycle.

I was watching a show called Hunting the Lost Symbol, which examines the fact vs. fiction about Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s latest release.  Not to spoil the plot, but one of the main themes involves the Freemasons. The show examines the Freemasons and the public’s skepticism of the organization’s secrete ways.  One segment begins talking about conspiracy groups and their stories about the Freemasons  in a way comparable to the JFK Assassination and Holocaust Deniers.

As the commentators spoke of these groups, images of JFK in his limo before he was killed were followed by images of Tea Parties, holding signs protesting National Healthcare, and waving “Don’t Tread on Me” Flags.  I for one was appalled, and am writing Discovery Channel asking for a public apology.  Please join with me in doing the same.

Discovery Communications
Viewer Relations
One Discovery Place
5th Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910

I have created an on-line petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/baddiscovery

My full letter sent to Discovery Channel is as follows:

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Concerns about Hunting the Lost Symbol by Discovery Channel

I have been a huge fan of the Discovery Channel and its affiliates, including the History Channel, the Military Channel and the sadly canceled Wings Channel.  As someone who reads a bit in my spare time, often books of history and biography, I have enjoyed your productions for years.  These shows offer a break from the monotony of situational comedies, reality TV, and the 24 hour news cycle.  Sadly the integrity of your impartial work has now too been compromised by partisan politics.  If political commentary and opinion were what I desired when choosing one of your programs, I would have simply watched a 24 hour news station on instead.

I purchased Dan Brown’s latest book, The Lost Symbol, the day it became available, and when Discovery Channel aired a show investigating the truths found within this story I was thrilled.  I found your programs relating to his to previous works to be both informative, and entertaining.  This particular show however repeatedly uses political viewpoints that are inconsistent with the political neutrality, and historical accuracy I have come to expect from your organization.

1. I found that a number of times, references to the founding fathers creating a constitution that reflected the “Separation of Church and State” to be both inaccurate and disturbing.  Nowhere in the Constitution or within the thousands of pages of text related to its drafting is this phrase present.  This phrase was used by Thomas Jefferson long after the ratification of the Constitution in a personal communication to a Church in Philadelphia. But it has no correlation to the matter discussed in the show.  Not until the Progressive movement nearly 100 years later was the phrase introduced in the record of the Supreme Court. These events all transpired long after the passing of all of the founding fathers, and the use of this phrase was in fact part of a movement to nullify and marginalize the Constitution as an antiquated document.
2. A section of the show speaks of fears of conspiracy, and groups who propagate such theories about the Freemasons.  During this segment footage of this summer’s Tea Parties was used.  A sign protesting National Healthcare and another referencing the 9-12 Project were shown to reflect members of “Conspiracy Groups”.  These images are not only completely out of context, but subliminally attempt to demonize a group of people who stand with over 52% of the American public in opposition to the concept of a Government Operated Healthcare System.  Have you no shame?

It takes only a few moments searching the internet to see that your company’s CEO Judith McHale was placed into office of your organization after working for NBC, whose parent company GE is working very closely with the current Presidential Administration.  Can one assume that this nexus is now involved in tainting the integrity of one of the last non-political, non-biased, and most educational networks left, in order to push their political agenda?

I hope that this was a simple error within the production crew itself, and can be remedied in keeping with your organization’s long track record of accuracy.

I respectfully request that an apology be issued to the public at large, and directed towards the millions of people who have exercised their First Amendment rights to free speech and participated in Tea Parties this past year.