7 Months Later: Girl Scouts Are Still Selling Books Referring Readers to Liberal Group Media Matters to Clear Up ‘Media Misinformation’
- Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:45am by
Billy Hallowell
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Seven months ago, TheBlaze broke a fascinating story about liberal bias embedded in an official Girl Scouts of the USA book. The workbook, entitled, “MEdia,” educates young girls in grades six through eight about “media misinformation.” As you may recall, “MEdia” instructed young people to go to Media Matters’ web site (a leftist group) to clear up “urban legends.” Considering the overtly political nature of the organization being referenced and touted, this was clearly concerning. Now, seven months later, it seems the Girl Scouts are still selling the book and, thus, promoting Media Matters.
(Related: Girl Scouts Book Refers Readers to Liberal Group Media Matters to Clear Up ‘Media Misinformation’)
Before getting into the new details, let’s begin by revisiting what, exactly, the Media Matters reference instructs readers to do on page 25 of the book. Under the headline, “Consider the Source,” the text encourages girls to go to the George Soros-funded Media Matters for America web site to clear up any mistruths they might encounter. It reads:
The Internet is a breeding ground for “urban legends,” which are false stories told as if true. Next time you receive a txt or e-mail about something that seems unbelievable, confirm it before you spread it.
The fact-checking site snopes.com investigates everything from urban legends to “news” articles and posts its findings. Media Matters for America (http://mediamatters.org/) gets the word out about media misinformation.
While some — including the author of the book — have seemingly tried to diminish the seriousness of this inclusion (writer Wendy Thomas Russell claims she did not put the Media Matters mention in “MEdia” and that it must have been added at some point later in the editing process). She also claimed she would have never inserted the organization due to its overt bias, although Russell said in the wake of the scandal that she found the “whole ordeal highly entertaining.”
The original story and the follow-up were brought to us, exclusively, by Christy Volanski, a concerned parent and a former Girl Scouts leader. Her daughter, Sydney, a 15-year-old who served as a Girl Scout for eight years, left the organization in 2010 after she found that it embraces some controversial stances. Now, Sydney co-edits “Speak Now: Girl Scouts Website,” which provides plenty of other examples of what some may see as liberal bias.
Back in December, Christy sent people out to purchase separate copies of the book earlier this month in Western Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida, Houston, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri. In every instance, the version containing Media Matters was still on shelves. When asked about whether a new printed version was on the way, no one working at the stores where the books were purchased seemed to know anything about such a development.
Fast-forward seven months to July 2012. Christy, again, rallied her troops to head out to Girl Scouts’ stores, where — to her surprise — she claims not much has changed. While two stores were selling updated copies of the “MEdia” book — a new version that has removed the Media Matters reference — she says the majority were still selling and promoting the old version.
A chart that shows the status of "MEdia" books at Girl Scout stores. (Image Credit: Christy Volanski)
Christy’s team went out, in person, to five separate bookstores in Miami, Florida, Plattesville, Wisconsin, Dalton, Georgia, Washington, D.C. and Saint Louis, Missouri. Additionally, a sixth book was ordered from Girl Scouts National Headquarters in New York. In the end, four out of the six books startlingly still featured an unchanged page 25 that urged young readers to use Media Matters’ web site. Only two locations — the National Headquarters and the Girl Scouts Eastern Missouri — sold new copies of the book, Christy reports.
The Girl Scouts previously said that they would change the text in a reprint, but they never addressed those books that are still being promoted on bookshelves. In an e-mail to TheBlaze on Monday, Michelle Tomkins, a spokesperson for the organization, said, “I know the changes were made in reprints in the fall of 2011.” Tomkins said she is looking into the reprint timeline — something TheBlaze is waiting to hear more about.
Below, see a current version of the new page 25, as published on the organization’s web site. It shows that the Media Matters reference, at least in the new reprint, has, indeed, been removed:
The new page 25 in the "MEdia" book, as shown on the Girl Scouts of the USA web site (Image Credit: GSUSA)
Considering that Christy’s compatriots found current Media Matters books still on shelves, the issue has yet been fully rectified. It’s possible that the organization is looking to cut costs and to sell the old version of the book before ordering new copies, but, if this is the case, one wonders why labels aren’t being promoted at all Girl Scouts stores to be placed over the Media Matters mentions (this is a work-around that the organization sometimes uses to hide controversial content). Tomkins did say that stickers were created, but Christy claims that none were offered at the stores that were still selling the old version of the book.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Christy told The Blaze. “They have not made sure that this information is not being given to young girls.”
It seems Media Matters is still — even after a media uproar — being treated as a source to correct “misinformation.”
Update: Tomkins sent the following statement to TheBlaze following publication of this story:
Girl Scouts constantly reviews our materials based on feedback and suggestions we receive from our members, and we update our materials on a regular basis. As a result of this process, a corrected page was posted online in January, which councils could use to sticker any books they had in the shop. The girl book went into reprint in May and 5,000 copies — with the correction — were delivered in July.
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Comments (58)
cwdrlove
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 3:15pmMy daughter (age 8) was crushed when we tried to explain why she could not be a GS. Looks like she will be an American Heritage Girl instead. She will also continue to learn archery, shooting, hunting, fishing, and all the other cool stuff.
Report Post »midnightvelvet
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 3:22pmSince when has the Girl Scouts taught anything cool like archery, fishing, shooting and such? I was forced to join Girl Scouts as a kid. It was just a popularity contest. I wish I had either the Girl Scout troop or the Heritage Girls troup your daughter has available to her.
dmerwin
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 8:41pmNote to GSA I can and will live without Samoas.
Report Post »donedunn
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:56pmDon’t buy the cookies if that is your choice. But, please be polite to the young girls. A simple “no thank you” will suffice. There is no need to launch into full scale explanation to a young child. It is very sad that girl scouts is what it is, because girls have very little opportunity for camping and learning outdoor skills.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 3:52pmWhy not let the kid know that you can’t support Girl Scouts because they support killing babies & shielding pedophiles.
Report Post »TXMom4Life
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 8:22amShare your concerns with the Girl Scout parents and the leaders — believe it or not, plenty of people still don’t know that Girl Scouts has taken a sharp turn to the left. Conservative Girl Scout members and those of us who support GS through cookie sales are being used as cash cows to fund GSUSA’s liberal agenda.
Report Post »Ch
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:54pmGet your girls out of Girl Scouts…it has evolved since the 70′s into a fanatical leftist feminists group.
Report Post »TEARS FOR AMERICA
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 4:29pmIt is horrible that the leftists have infiltrated so many organizations but they said they would do it and bury us and they have…so we must counter and refuse our children to be indoctrinated…
Report Post »HonestGirlScouts_dot_com
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:24pmThank you for keeping on top of this important subject. What this article does not cover are the myriad other references Girl Scouts has had to remove from their website and blog as well as their books. Plus, if you are pro-life, the abortion connections Girl Scouts of the USA has is very depressing. As we type, they are financially funding the worldwide indoctrination of girls to homosexuality and explicit sex instruction using COOKIE MONEY paid by unwitting Americans. GSUSA relies on the ignorance of the public to get by with its evil agenda. Spread the word. Tell every Girl Scout family you know.
Report Post »GrumpyCat
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:00pmI knew there was something twisted in the Girl Scouts management all these years the way they pursued sales of manufactured cookies. Girls who study recipes, collect ingredients, mix, bake, and then present their cookies actually learn something useful and real and beyond mere cookies. They learn project management. They learn the feeling of success for a job well done. Much the same as Glenn’s recent lemonade stand project.
Once the progressives dumbed-down Girl Scouts to manufactured cookie sales their doom was sealed.
Report Post »HonestGirlScouts_dot_com
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:29pmTo complete the dumbing down, they even stopped capitalizing their own name in 2008! How intelligent to diminish your name… girl scouts of the usa… was that when they began admitting transgenders (boys who wish to be girls), too? You all know about that, too, don’t you?
Report Post »dynaboy
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:55pmWell I know i will not buy anymore girl scout cookies or anything else from girl scouts
Report Post »Doova
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:53pmWont be buying anymore cookies!!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 3:42pm7 months later: I’m still not buying Girl Scout cookies.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:48pmMost all women or all-girl organizations are liberal. Liberals have taken control of them to try and pit Male against Female in this nation. Liberals are dividers. They are destroyers. They need to be disciplined severely.
Report Post »MCGIRV
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:51pmIs there any truth to the rumor I heard that the Girl Scouts have been infiltrated by activist lesbians ?
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 4:11pmI have heard the same thing. It’s a shame what they have done to a once good organization.
Report Post »Ole_Sarge
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:44amYes, it is true. We never were much on checking on adult bedroom arrangements. And for the most part, not that big of an deal because it was kept not only out of sight, but out of the sight of the girls. As an adult I learned about some GS Camps, especially in the NorthEast had a problems with “favorites,” between some of the adult staff and some of the college aged counselors, but my Mid-Western, middle of no where council did not (to my knowledge) we had fund scandals and a couple of broken-up marriages instead.
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:25pmIt doesn’t make sense??
It makes perfect sense. For the last 100 years ‘progressives’ have been taking over our education system and our media. Civics is no longer taught. History is made boring by forcing date memorization. Our schools from K – PhD are designed to indoctrinate.
Report Post »FlagWavingPatriot
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:09pmNo more of their cookies in my home. They can pound sand.
Report Post »BlasberryStrat
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:54pm“Now you be a good little girl scout, and we‘ll teach you how to ’lay carpet’, protest and throw urine, and sue your own parents while getting everything you want for freedom of ‘nut cases’”.
Report Post »It states in the Bible that Satin will become stronger by taking our children first. We teach our children to watch for trouble from drugs and peer pressure. But who would have thought that we needed to explain that our children will be brain washed by Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, our OWN Government, (some) Preachers and Teachers, etc.. You know. The very organizations that were SUPPOSED to help by teaching a strong foundation, faith, and honesty. Go figure! The evil people that WANT to see “this supposed Satin come back” are the ones who conned us in to believing that these organizations were in fact “good”. Heck, I’m worried about sending my kids to Bible Camp for fear they are being taught the exact opposite of what a Christian is!
Over the centuries there has been bloodshed over faith and religion, as well as ‘leftist agenda’. THIS is NOT the time to be ‘good Christians’ and sit back in silent prayer. This IS the time to stand up and fight – AGAIN! A little note about the ‘quiet good little Christians’….remember something about being thrown to the Lyons for sport?? I’m not going to be one of those. It’s 2012, and it’s about time the Christians STOP hiding and praying in silence. It’s time to stand in force FOR Christ!
jcldwl
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:46pmwell I swore off girl scout cookies the last time so I guess next time they are selling them I will let the mothers there with them know why I am not buying any. It’s possible they may not even be aware of this. They may appreciate knowing which way the organization they are indoctrinating their girls into leans.
Report Post »Mamma Bear
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:42pmWe are no longer in Girl Scouts, in fact the entire troupe has quit! It is no longer about the girls – but about selling there agenda. And selling cookies so that the organization can keep the money. Very little of the cookies sale money stayed with our troupe! Girls were sad – but only a minute!
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:37pmNo more GS cookies from this family!
Report Post »bigdaddyt46
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:07amwhat’s blue and yellow and comes in brownies?
cub scouts
Report Post »stacy4422
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:36pmmaybe I should start somthing called cristan scouts of america! What you think? would it get but down as RA-eeeisstttt!
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:35pmSad to see this; bought 5 boxes of cookies this past April. Guess I will have to miss eating the Samoan cookies (they renamed them but I forgot the new name; lol). :)
Report Post »HonestGirlScouts_dot_com
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 2:17pmNo need to miss Samoas. Keebler sells Coconut Dreams which are, I believe, exactly the same cookie at a fraction of the cost, especially now that Girl Scouts has announced they are increasing the cost of each box up to $5 in some states! BOYCOTT THOSE TAINTED COOKIES.
Report Post »mickelli
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 8:42pmKeebler does make a version of the Samoas and they are yummy, as are the thin mints by Keebler. My husband calls the GS brand Sin Mints……..LOL!
Report Post »Ole_Sarge
Posted on August 1, 2012 at 9:49amOne of the two remaining bakeries with the Girl Scout Cookie contract is “Little Brownie Bakers” (a.k.a. Keebler, owned by Kelloggs) So those so-called “knock-off“ cookies in the cookie section that ”resemble” Girl Scout cookies are in fact… Girl Scout Cookies in a different package. (More cookies, cheaper price)
Report Post »OneTermPresident
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:32pmThey let the liberals creep in.. and look what happened. The GS are now a breeding and training ground for Socialism and Communism. When they come to the door… take a minute and politely explain why you can’t buy their cookies anymore.
Report Post »STEWART V
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:21pmGirl Scouts doesn’t care about girls — they only care about promoting their liberal agenda. The only reason they promised to take MMFA in the first place is because they got busted and groups like the Blaze outed them. Now they can’t even follow through on their promise to correct this. Very sloppy. Our girls deserve better. Check out American Heritage Girls.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:34pmYou are correct,it seems that 99.9% of all agencies involved in the education of our children are not moderate or even close to it. They are hard core leftist idealogs bend on indoctrinating our children. Easy to solve the problem if there were alternatives but there aren’t any other than home school. And no PBS
Report Post »historyguy48
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:12pmWell at least they are recommending the American Communist Parties website. Close but not exact.
Report Post »Didn’t like those cookies anyway my wife only bought them to support the girl scouts and we feed them to our dogs.
I guess from now on the dogs will have to settle for Keeblers cookies.
TXMom4Life
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 4:33pmActually, in the Girl Scout book called “Your Voice Your World” for girls, Girl Scouts USA praises the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their communist founder, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, as a “voice for good.” Flynn was the National Chairman of the Communist Party and was also arrested, charged, and convicted for conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government. Girl Scouts also tells girls they may want to consider a career as an ACLU lawyer.
Report Post »nick e l
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:09pmdont buy or support Girl Scouts.. I dont and wont.
Report Post »schroeder123
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:07pmWhy do libs ruin it for everyone. Just shut up and go back under your rock.
Report Post »wolverine
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:04pmGoodbye cookies they weren’t very good anyway
Report Post »HKS
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:52amWell, it would appear that there is no incentive to do anything different. So business as usual. The incentives are up to you.
Report Post »Mandors
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:51amWho joins the Girl Scouts anymore?
Report Post »FreeBeer
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:24pmWay too many people do. American Heritage Girls is much better. They are what the Girl Scouts used to be and more.
Report Post »mickelli
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 8:46pmWe left GS when we became aware of their secular agenda. American Heritage Girls is a Christ-centered scouting program where girls are encouraged to live their faith. This is what we have opted for after leaving GS and are MUCH happier!
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:48amI’VE been kick off Media matters at least 5 times; they said I was trolling.
Report Post »I guess telling the truth is considered trolling on their site.
I don’t mind being kicked out because there is no reasoning with those lost puppies.
HKS
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 11:53amYep, their called liberals.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 12:30pmArguing with IDIOTS … aka Media Matters “patrons”
Report Post »The_Cabrito_Goat
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 1:08pmAnd yet we don’t kick off trolls even when they succeed at derailing comments and causing general acrimony.
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