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Posted on Feb 17, 2013 in local | 6 comments

Why is WNEP News promoting religious ideology?

Jon Meyer, a WNEP 16 News anchor, has taken a story about the death of a child and added a great deal of religious ideology to it. WNEP News and John Meyer should be reporting stories and fact rather than promoting religious ideology and untestable claims.

Meyer writes,

A little girl so many in our area were pulling for has lost her battle with cancer. Audrianna Bartol of Hazleton passed away today. On the night heaven gained another angel, hundreds of Penn State students are dancing in the hope that one day little boys and girls don’t have to suffer like Audriana did. God bless her family and let’s pray for a cancer free world.

This ‘report’ is quite astonishing. Rather than a simple report of the death and mention of the Penn State fundraiser, Meyer adds a heavy amount of religion – that “heaven gained another angel,” “God bless her,” and “let’s pray for a cancer free world.”

Why is Meyer talking about religion on his WNEP page? How does he know Heaven exists or that it gained another angel? Why is Meyer proposing that people “pray for a cancer free world?”

I could understand that Meyer might want to promote a religious ideology, but doing so as an WNEP news anchor is inappropriate and unprofessional. Meyer should keep his religion at the door and do what he feels on his personal page rather than doing so as a news anchor.

Besides, there’s no reason to suggest God has blessed Audrianna or her family (or anyone else for that matter). Looking at the state of the world fraught with natural disasters, dehabilitating diseases, deadly birth defects, and so much more should lead one to the conclusion that an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving god does not exist. God won’t answer your prayers and he certainly is not intervening in human affairs to save children who die from natural cases – those allegedly put in place by the alleged god who created the universe. Action, not prayer, will be the only cure — if there ever will be one — for cancer.

  • http://karlaporter.com/ Karla Porter

    My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Audrianna. In regard to news anchors, their job is to report hard news not speculation about outcomes. Meyer may have meant well, but his comment has no place in the ‘news’.

  • http://twitter.com/jkaravis Joe Karavis

    I am sure the radical religious right won’t complain about this as being lies from the “liberal mainstream media” …huh?

  • http://athmorality.blogspot.com/ Katie Graham

    Adding a small amount of personal commentary sometimes happens on the news, but this is a blatant appeal to religion. I’d hate to accuse Meyers of exploiting the situation to promote religion, but he lays it on so thick. He could have easily gotten away with the “heaven gained an angel” if he had concluded with “Condolences go out to her family and let’s all hope for a cancer free world.” It’s science that is making a difference in cancer, not prayer.

  • Bill “Danger” Robinson

    It’s a Facebook post from a talking head on a news station in the #54 market in the country. Developing a logical threshold trigger for your outrage would allow you to deploy your indignation missiles much more pointedly. That way when this girl’s parents Google her name they won’t have to sift through your weird (and appropriately soulless) exploitation.

    • http://www.skepticink.com/justinvacula/ Justin Vacula

      Imputations of malice, irrelevant points. Atheists should just sit down and shut up, you say, while a news station which should not be injecting religious ideology does so?

      • Bill “Danger” Robinson

        Atheists can do whatever makes them feel better. And other people can do whatever they want too. Like goofy newscasters.