A couple of weeks ago, I received the expected rejection letter from the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma on my application to attend their “workshop for journalists on covering guns and gun violence”. I expected it because it’s clear that their Bloomberg-funded “workshop” has become a mere exercise in producing disarmist propaganda, rather than an objective effort designed to help journalists get their facts right on events involving guns. To give credit where due, Bruce Shapiro, Director at Dart, was unfailingly polite in the rejection letter . . .
For a brief period, I actually held out some hope of some semblance of balance in the presentation. Then Ray Stern (hardly known as someone who champions conservatives), a reporter for the Phoenix New Times did a little investigative journalism, and received some clear answers to some pointed questions. He asked Bruce Shapiro, the Dart Center’s Director, about the scheduled list of speakers (which, to be fair, includes two token pro-gunners; S.E. Cupp and Dave Kopel):
But why doesn’t the lineup include any scholar who’s researched the idea that guns, or at least the defense display of guns, may often save lives?
Shapiro guffawed: “Look, guns kill people, right?” he said.
Um, okay, professor. Sorry we asked.
Stern goes on to reveal more indications of a world view antagonistic to anything positive about guns or gun ownership:
Reporters at the seminar will receive an education in how guns work, too, Shapiro confirmed. So which of the many gunsmiths or firearms dealers in Arizona did the Dart Center invite to go over that material? Maybe someone from the Ruger manufacturing plant in Prescott?
Nope — serving as the seminar’s gun-hardware expert, Shapiro said, will be journalist Marc Cooper, who wrote in 2013 that he’d subscribe to Guns & Ammo magazine after one its columnists (now fired) advocated for gun-control measures.
The workshop will be held May 29th and 30th. With a little luck we will find out who attended and how things went. I also hope to find some information on who else was turned down.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.