fail, ben stein, creation, creationism, new york, times, ethics,Ben Stein, he of economics*, creationism and Bueller fame (RIP John Hughes, btw), is no longer of New York Times fame. Why? That ethical lapse known as "conflict of interest".
I find it amusing that Stein's pitching of creationism in the movie Expelled, which amounted to a bait and switch of the concept of science itself, was no problem, but free-but-not credit reports were just too much.
Ben Stein's TV ads for a scuzzy "free" credit product have finally caught up to him: The New York Times has fired Stein as a Sunday business columnist for violating ethics guidelines.
Stein was pilloried online for his endorsement of the bait-and-switch operation, which offers a free credit score but charges an outrageous $30 per month to see the credit report behind the score. As Reuters blogger Felix Salmon pointed out, consumers can get a free online report under federal law.
I find it amusing that Stein's pitching of creationism in the movie Expelled, which amounted to a bait and switch of the concept of science itself, was no problem, but free-but-not credit reports were just too much.
*I'm not sure why anyone called Stein an "economist". He only has a BA in economics.
Obviously their definition of ethics violations or conflict of interests lies not in whether the man's a moronic, ignorant crank and uneducated buffoon who tries to discredit a proven theory and not-so-subtly mock the most esteemed of scientific personnel out there – but merely what affects their own personal goals and interests.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I really blame 'em – these days, newspapers need all the help they can get, so I doubt they'd turn away from (pseudo-)celebrities – even fake and thoroughly discredited ones like Ben Stein.
(Speaking of which: did you see Roger Ebert's review of eXpelled!? Not to sidetrack, but it's truly a worthwhile read. I don't think even PZ or Dawkins gave Stein such a complete and utter smackdown as Ebert did.)
Why is the title of your blog "Forever in Hell"?
ReplyDeleteBecause that's where I was convinced I was spending the afterlife . . . when I was 5.
ReplyDeletewhat happened to Ben Stein?
ReplyDeletehe used to be so AWESOME!
sigh.