CBS and Noah's Ark

From: djones@megatest.com (Dave Jones)
Message-ID: 

Okay, I brought in the article. It ran on the AP wire and was reported
by The San Jose Mercury News. Here is a synopsis:

* The show, which contained segments other than the one on Noah's Ark,
  was produced by the Utah-based Sun International Pictures cult.

* The show was called to task by the "Committee for the Scientific
  Examination of Religion", which AP calls an organization of
  "scientists, biblical scholars, and other specialists". They
  charged that the show was "riddled with biased statements and
  errors of fact." They said it was a "propaganda vehicle for
  'creationists' opposed to the theory of evolution."

* CBS defended itself by saying the show was meant for entertainment
  only, not as factual. [snicker!]

* Time magazine reported that CBS was the 'victim of a hoaxer'.

* Parttime actor George Jammal admited that he had fabricated the
  story of the Ark's discovery, and that the purported Ark relic
  was a common piece of wood. Jammal had never been to Turkey, and
  knew nothing about "Mt. Ararat".

* Gerald Larue, professor emeritus of biblical history and archaeology
  at USC said he helped Jammal make up the story. Larue, who had been
  interviewed on a previous Sun International pseudo-science program,
  said he helped with the prank in order to expose Sun's lax research
  practices.

* Dave Balsinger, chief researcher and field producer for Sun, said,
  "We couldn't test the wood in time for our deadline, but we were
  very thorough in checking (Jammal) out."