Nickelodeon Tackles "Intelligent Design"

The far right is sure to flip out over this announcement: Linda Ellerbee's latest special is called "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: God, Science, Politics and Your School." It airs Sunday January 22 at 8:30 p.m. Ellerbee says the purpose of the show "is not to debate the issues of evolution, intelligent design or creationism. We just want to give kids a better understanding of what all the shouting is about."

It won't be easy. The press release begins with this unfortunate phrase that the special will look at "the ongoing controversy surrounding the teaching of the theory of intelligent design alongside the theory of evolution in public school science classes."

Obviously, ID ain't a "theory" and is in no way equivalent to evolution. I sent this response:

"Looking forward to the special -- Ellerbee always does a great job. The first line is misleading however.... Intelligent design is not a theory akin to evolution any more than, say, numerology is a science akin to statistics or astrology is a science akin to astronomy. That's what all those court cases have been about. It would have been better to say something like, '...surrounding the teaching of the idea of intelligent design alongside the scientific theory of evolution....' That would be the most polite description it deserves. More accurate but less politic would be to say, '...the religious belief of intelligent design alongside the scientific theory of evolution.' What fun tackling hot-button social issues!"