Members of The Young Americans Foundation and Campus Reform this week reported that a University of Georgia professor assigned students a project and told them not to cite conservative-leaning news sources, such as FOX News.
Both groups identified that man as Scott Connelly, a UGA ecology professor.
YAF posted a screenshot of an assignment Connelly handed out on March 11.
“For this assignment, please do an Internet search, or rely on information from reliable news sources that you already read (factually reliable news sources include media such as BBC, CNN, NYTimes, ABC News, etc. Please do not draw from questionable sources such as National Inquirer, FOX News, OAN, blogs, etc.),” Connelly wrote.
“Find either a case study or environmental news story that describes or highlights some sort of technology, innovation, or project related to sustainable energy.”
YAF reported that they contacted Connelly for comment. Connelly reportedly said the following:
“This has absolutely nothing to do with ‘conservative media outlets’, and I am at a complete loss as to why you are jumping to that conclusion,” Connelly wrote.
“This has to do with scientifically accurate news pieces that focus on the topic we are studying… it will be much easier to complete the assignment in a reasonable amount of time if students start with the reliable news organizations that I suggested, which have run countless articles that are scientifically factually correct and also address the topic we are studying.”
YAF went on to opine that “Connelly is one of many across the nation who let their own ideological biases take precedence in the classroom. Labeling conservative media outlets as ‘questionable,’ while touting left-leaning sources like CNN and The New York Times as ‘reliable’ for student usage is as blatant as bias gets in the classroom.”
The writers at Campus Reform, citing Media Bias Fact Check, said CNN has the same amount of left bias as FOX News has right bias, while The New York Times has left-of-center bias.
Members of YAF, according to their website, want to ensure that “increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.”
According to the Campus Reform website, members of that group work to expose what they call “liberal bias and abuse on the nation’s college campuses.”
Connelly, according to his UGA website, is interested in ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss, captive amphibian husbandry, stream-water quality and quantity issues in Costa Rica.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Scott Connelly” by The University of Georgia.
UGA has been like this for close to 20 years now.
Why is it surprising that we now hear a story about how they are not even trying to hide it anymore?
This man needs to go! Has no business teaching young people! Here lies one of the problems going on in our country today. What rock did he slither out from beneath!