On April 3rd, I received the e-mail below from the public relations firm hired by the producers of the anti-evolution movie Expelled, starring Clear Eyes spokesperson Ben Stein. Please enjoy the initial e-mail (in which the name of my site and the word “publicly” are misspelled, the O’Reilly Factor is invoked, and the “scientific community” is accused of hiding something), plus the humorous exchange that followed.
Hi,
I noticed the Stepchick [sic] blog had recently mentioned Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, and I wanted to pass along some more information on the documentary. To view trailers and O’Reilly Factor coverage of the film, please visit www.youtube.com/getexpelled.
Ben Stein’s new documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed will open in theaters on April 18, 2008 to expose the persecution of scientists, educators, and philosophers taking place in American institutions. These professionals are being ridiculed, denied tenure, or even fired because they dare to go against the theory of evolution and merely believe there may be evidence of “design” in nature. The film follows Ben Stein as he travels around the globe speaking with professionals on both sides of the debate between Darwinism and intelligent design and uncovers the disturbing truth about the lack of academic freedom in publically [sic] funded high schools, universities and research institutions.
With such a controversial subject matter, there is already a lot of buzz surrounding the film. Free speech activists and religious communities praise the movie for highlighting a grave injustice in today’s scientific society. Meanwhile, atheists and scientific communities dispel the film as simple propaganda trying to uproot a doctrine they claim has been accepted for years.
Regardless of what side of the debate you are on, this film uncovers that freedom of thought and freedom of inquiry have been expelled from American institutions. The film will make you think, will challenge what you know about the scientific progress, and will make you wonder what the scientific community has been hiding.
To view the trailer and learn more about the documentary visit http://www.getexpelled.com/index.php. Please let me know if I can provide any additional information on the film or if you are interested in interviewing Ben Stein. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Stacy Schlicht
ROGERS & COWAN
8687 Melrose Avenue
7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310.854.8226
[email protected]
+++
Hello Stacy,
Thanks for the links, I’ll definitely check those out. Also, I would love to interview Mr. Stein about the upcoming release–would it be possible to conduct a phone interview with him for posting on the Skepchick blog as well as for inclusion in my weekly podcast?
Thanks so much,
Rebecca Watson
+++
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for your response to my email and your interest in Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.
In response to the strong interest shown by bloggers (including you!) to interview Ben Stein, the producers of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed have set up a teleconference interview with Ben Stein this week. The teleconference will take place this Thursday, April 10th at 1:30-2:30pm EST and will enable an exclusive group of bloggers to participate.
To participate in this teleconference, please send up to 5 questions you would like Mr. Stein to address during the interview. Mr. Stein will be asked these questions by a moderator at the time of the teleconference to ensure all questions are answered. Upon receipt of your questions for Mr. Stein, we’ll follow up with specific details on how to enter this teleconference.
Thanks again for your interest in the film!
Stacy Schlicht
ROGERS & COWAN
8687 Melrose Avenue
7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310.854.8226
[email protected]
+++
Hello Stacy,
Apparently there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I agreed to interview Mr. Stein, not to send a PR company questions that he might sort through and answer at his leisure. A teleconference is a convenient way to literally mute critics in order to dispense sound bites, but a very poor excuse for an interview. I’m sure the irony is not lost on you.
Should Mr. Stein or the filmmakers decide to begin answering the substantial criticisms leveled at them thus far, I’ll be more than happy to provide them with a large audience of very curious people.
Thanks,
Rebecca
In case you haven’t heard, go find out what happened on the previous Expelled teleconference.
Tell me, darling readers: if you had just five questions to lob at Ben Stein, what would they be?