from his blog and from the listserv
Finally, let me comment a bit on the whole flap about me be kicked off KUOW Weekday.
Update (some kind folks have created an online petition asking KUOW to reconsider: found here: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/cliffmassonkuow )
First, let me say I am stunned by the reaction and the many messages of support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your words. I received over 400 email messages and over 250 comments on my blog, and was greatly encouraged by the Facebook page, which received hundreds of comments. The KUOW Facebook page was overwhelmed . I am still hoping to hear from the KUOW folks, but if not, I have received offers of a regular spot on a few local radio and TV stations. And, of course, there is my blog and the podcast that I plan to start.
This whole situation is really so silly and unnecessary. Let me tell you a little more than has been in the media or my previous blog post. The truth is that I had already caved into most of Katy’s and Steve’s demands. In our meeting a few years ago over this issue they told me if I talked about math education another time, they would take me off the air. I told them I thought they were completely wrong and were ill-serving KUOW listeners, but I would pull back from discussing math topics. And since that time I HAVE NOT talked about math as all of you know. I never talked about my participation in the lawsuit against Seattle Public Schools about bad math textbooks. I never talked about the State deciding to take on Common Core math standards during this legislative session. I gave in to them because I thought it was more important to serve the KUOW listener community than to fight it out with them. I talked about math on my blog and on the many times I have been invited to talk on other radio stations (e.g., KOMO radio).
So they really got what they wanted. What got me into trouble, what really ended my weather segment, was ONE situation a few weeks ago, where I defended the UW admission’s policy. Yes, you got this right– I was ejected from the UW-owned public radio station for defending the UW. Pretty amazing. The Seattle Times had published a very deceptive article and the 10 AM Week in Review group on Weekday pontificated about it the previous week, continuing to provide the listeners with non-factual information. I had direct knowledge of the facts and had confirmed them with the Dean of Admissions. I would have thought Steve would have thanked me for insuring KUOW listeners were not ill-informed. But that is not what happened. He canceled my next segment and his aide Katy then sent me the threatening ultimatum. I responded very carefully, but told them I could not guarantee NEVER to go off the narrow topic of weather. And for that I was canned. It really appears to me the concern was never about the listeners, the effects of losing my weather segment, or the importance of insuring that listeners get the best possible information. It seemed to be about something else.
The online description of KUOW’s weekday states that it is
“call–in, talk show format invites listeners to converse with activists, politicians and practical thinkers on relevant issues and ideas of the day” How is this inconsistent with my talking about math and science education or UW admissions, which are certainly some of the most relevant issues of the day? Why did they allow me to do so for a decade and then change their minds? Why did they not trust their audience to consider the experiences of a long-term university educator? Why is Weekday so dominated by authors pushing their books and so little real-discussion of local issues?
During the past year, the amount of time for the weather segment has progressively dropped, and increasingly they run out of time in the first hour and push me to the second, so that listeners are uncertain when I will talk. Each week I provided Steve with a list of questions to ask me and frequently that list is not used. There has to be a better way to insure listeners have a more consistent experience.
I hope the program can evolve, and the strong reaction of the listeners shows that many hope that program becomes a more open forum for community discussion. I believe in public radio and I believe in the potential of programs like Weekday. There is much to learn from the hundreds of comments of Weekday listeners found on the Facebook sites. Perhaps the KUOW folks are willing to talk this through with me and find some kind of compromise approach so I can come back. I hope so. But if not, I will find another, more open venue and tolerant environment, for talking about the whys behind the weather and some of the key issues of science and math education.
PS: I did not suggest or encourage the poll on the Stranger Slog (only 8 % wanted me fired) or the Fire Steve Scher Facebook site. I am NOT suggesting anyone should be terminated. One termination is enough for this month.
From the AAUP listserv:
Colleagues,
There are two major points I must make:
(1) There is a lot of misinformation going around about what happened at KUOW.
(2) There are very serious issues at stake on whether KUOW is reflecting the values of the University and its faculty.
First, the misinformation. Steve Scher gave me an ultimatum three years ago that if I talked about education issues on my weather segment, I would be ejected from Weekday. I told him that this constraint on free speech was wrong and inconsistent with the nature of a public radio station and of the UW. And I caved–agreed to stop talking about education issues– because I thought it was important to keep the scientific outreach to the listeners. He agreed to occasionally provide some time for me, in a separate program, to discuss education matters. He never fullfilled this promise. So this talk of how I was trying to continue to discuss education stuff on air is completely false. I never broke my promise. A few weeks ago on the weekly news review show (second hour of Weekday), I spent a few minutes correcting some misinformation about UW admissions. Then I got a threatening notice from his producer. Now these are the exact words:
“you ARE constrained to just talking about the weather. …Talking about other issues in this context is not acceptable. …If it happens again, we will cancel your weekly appearance.”
My exact response:
I cannot guarantee that I will never talk about other issues. I think KUOW should welcome the multi-dimensionality that I provide, but perhaps not. I am going to increasingly diversify my outreach efforts to new media, and will begin a regular forecast/discussion podcast this summer that will be linked to my blog site. So there is less and less reason for my to talk about what I see as essential educational issues on KUOW. KUOW will be poorer for it, but that will be your decision.
So. For the last several years I had promised not to talk about education issues. I did not do so. (yes, a faculty-educator was forced to stop talking about education). On ONE occasion, I corrected misinformation about UW admissions. Then, while threatened, I said that although I cannot guarantee I willl not stray, I had no intention to do so.
For that my segment was ended. Do any of you think that such firing was reasonable? No attempt to sit down and talk about it. No concern for the impact on KUOW listeners. Is this kind of threatening behavior and restriction of speech consistent with KUOW goals or the mission of the UW? I don’t think so.
KUOW is an essential outreach organ of the UW. It serves as a key center of community discussion of important issues. I believe the actions of Weekday have been directly counter to our values. I think the faculty and the University have followed a hands-off policy with KUOW and as a result it has drifted. Some KUOW program hosts secure multi-decadal tenure with individual programs and appear to believe the programs are theirs, reflecting their values and interests, rather than serving the community and the UW. I believe I experienced the result of this trend and it is one that we should not ignore. KUOW is important to the mission of the UW and requires our active attention.
…cliff mass, atmospheric sciences