Yesterday, I mentioned that Amanda Metskas, the president of Camp Quest, was interviewed on NPR.
The headline on the NPR webpage reads:
Children’s Summer Camp Teaches ‘Free Thinking’
That wasn’t originally the case.
Duncan Crary explains in the latest Humanist Network News:
… The interview itself went well, and it would have been a public relations coup for Camp Quest and for freethought in general except for one thing, the headline: “Summer Camp Teaches Anti-Christian Beliefs.”
When Amanda first showed me the headline for the radio interview on the NPR website, she was dismayed. Camp Quest is not “anti-Christian.” It’s a summer camp where children learn about freethought while also participating in traditional summer camp activities.
I agreed with Amanda that it was an unfair headline that could even damage the reputation of Camp Quest.
Amanda contacted the producer and kindly explained the situation — that Camp Quest was not Anti-Christian. The producer apologized, explained that the website’s headline writers don’t always get it right, and had the headline changed to its more accurate current version.
Duncan ends the piece with this advice:
The lesson I’d like readers to take from this story is that sometimes the media makes mistakes that could hurt the image of humanists and other freethinkers. But before you get angry (or decide that there’s a media conspiracy against atheists), try to think of a way to solve the problem. Reporters, editors, copy editors and webmasters are people, too. They make mistakes, but most are eager to correct them. You can usually accomplish your goal by being respectful and offering helpful solutions.
Nicely said.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Amanda Metskas, Camp Quest, NPR, Duncan Crary, Humanist Network News, Christian, freethinker[/tags]
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