Recent reporting by Campus Progress on a new conservative social networking website has apparently stuck in the craw of another right-leaning group dedicated to exposing “political bias” in education.

In fact, Accuracy In Academia—a sister organization to Accuracy In Media, a longstanding nonprofit that specializes in firing flak against the perils of “liberal media” reporting—even dedicated an entire 950-word article to Campus Progress and myself.

But unfortunately, for a website dedicated to “accuracy,” there are a few distortions and convenient omissions that need to be addressed.

1.

In a recent Campus Progress article “Smashing ‘Left-Wing Scum’ on Campus,” author Erin Rosa attempts to characterize the Leadership Institute as conservative bullies on campus. The problem is that she doesn’t have much of a case in the first place.

Rosa derives the title of her article from a profile posting by Texas A&M graduate Toni Listi that he is “active on CampusReform to ‘smash left-wing scum.’”

…

 

So if the leadership at CampusReform did not sanction Listi’s comment, why tar an entire community for the actions of a single member? Listi’s profile stated that his reason for being “active on CampusReform” is to “start and support conservative/libertarian groups and publications” as of Thursday, Oct. 22, around 3:00 pm.

What’s not mentioned in is the fact that Listi is not just a “member” of the fledgling group, but he is also listed as being on staff at CampusReform. This fact is easily found by browsing the “About” section at the group’s website. Since CampusReform was interviewed for a response pertaining to Listi’s comment, the incendiary statement has been taken down. However, a copy of the original profile can be seen here (PDF). It’s also important to note that Accuracy In Academia made no attempt to contact this reporter for information regarding the “left-wing scum” posting.

2.

Campus Progress associate editor Rosa also writes that “Ken Johnson, a humanities professor at the University of Southern Indiana, was recently listed as a leftist professor on the social network by an anonymous commenter that claimed to be his student. The user wrote that Johnson ‘continually degrades the Bible,’ an allegation the Johnson denies.”

Since the professor rating no longer appears on campusreform.org, the only evidence remaining is Rosa’s excerpted quote.

Again, if Accuracy in Academia had made an attempt to contact Campus Progress, such evidence could have been provided.

Here is the text of the comment supposedly left by a student in Indiana:

“He continually spouts out that we (the students) are sponges that just sit there and absorb what we are told. We do not think, ever. He continually degrades the Bible. He says that since society today uses it as a source so often, it’s the easiest one to use as a reference in class to disprove/discount.”

The review, like Listi’s comment, has disappeared from the CampusReform network.

3.

In her Campus Progress column, Rosa also criticized Leadership Institute founder Morton Blackwell for spending millions of dollars to effect campus politics. “Just last year Blackwell’s nonprofit organization, the conservative Leadership Institute, spent $4.6 million to conduct training seminars for college students and to assist with launching right-leaning newspapers on campus, Internal Revenue Service records show,” writes Rosa.

According to their Form 990, the Leadership Institute spent over $5.3 million in 2007 on their “Campus Leadership Program,” which “Fosters effective student organization on U.S. college campuses. Conducts leadership schools for these groups and helps students start conservative newspapers on their campuses.”

Campus Progress was referencing the most recent 2008 tax returns from the Leadership Institute in its reporting (hence, the “just last year” citation in the copy.) Perhaps the author doesn’t realize that it’s 2009 now? The facts in our feature were, and are, correct.

Although these factual errors and distortions were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to Accuracy in Academia’s “reporting” on this issue, I assume that the group, being dedicated to “accuracy,” will issue a public correction soon.

Further reading:

Smashing 'Left-Wing Scum' on Campus

Group Targets ‘Biased’ Textbooks, Too