KUOW fires Cliff Mass for speaking out about math education and UW

[uppityperson]

Here is a link to Cliff's blog. Varied newspapers also carry articles if you want to look them up. Please contact KUOW and let them know that this is unacceptable. Thank you. http://www.kuow.org/contact.php

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/

http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~cliff/weatherkuow.html
I regret to note that I will not be on KUOW Weekday in the future. Steve Scher made this decision on Monday, May 16th. He and his producer Katy Sewall came to this decision after I talked about another issue (UW admissions) on a show a few weeks ago. They only want me to give the weather forecast and not talk about any education issues (e.g., math education or UW admissions). I told them that although I had no plans for talking about non-weather topics, I could not guarantee that I never would. I noted that they allowed other regulars (like Rick Steves) to talk about other issues (e.g., in his case, pot legalization). They did not think this is analogous. Anyway, Weekday is Steve and Katy's program and they want someone who will stick only to the weather forecast, without the outreach materials I like to provide. That is, of course, their right.

I will be starting a weather podcast attached to my blog soon and will consider doing a weather program on another station.

Sorry about this situation. I have enjoyed talking about the weather on KUOW for the past several years. I will provide more information on my blog later this week....cliff

[shoreline]

1. Not surprised...

...Cliff's got a bit of a reputation as having a pretty substantial ego and he doesn't take direction well. He was hired to talk about the weather, not his peeve of the week. Next time you go to work, tell your boss you've decided do what you want and not what they are paying you to do. Then get back to me and tell me how that worked out for ya...

[uppityperson]

2. That is a problem with scientists and reporters. Are you happy with just blonde bimbos (tm)?

Or do you want reporters to talk about issues that impact their specialty? Like math does weather forecasting and science?

[shoreline]

3. I'm a scientist...

...affiliated with the University of Washington. I'm sure I could talk about issues that impact my specialty (and given my specialty and its broad interdisciplinary scope, that's just about everything I can think of), but you can't be an expert on everything, so it's best not to stray too far off the reservation. That's what Cliff did, and it got him in trouble. He was being paid to talk about weather and climate - he didn't satisfy his employer's demands in that regard, and got fired.

[uppityperson]

4. Having a science background, I can easily see the relationship between math and weather analysis

as well as other science areas. It is too bad that KUOW has taken this stance as yes, math education impacts math skills which impacts ability to interpret and analyze data.

[shoreline]

5. I'm not arguing that...

...I'm merely saying that if Cliff had done the job he was hired to do he would still be on the air.

[uppityperson]

7. I don't like Public Radio censoring its reporters like this. You feel differently.

I think of Public Radio as being more open about things than privately run radio and find KUOW's stance on this rather depressing.

[shoreline]

8. The fact that it's public radio...

...doesn't mean it isn't still a business where an employee is required to meet the needs and expectations of the employer. He isn't being censored - he is being asked to do the job for which he was hired.

[uppityperson]

9. And some of us understand math being part of science and think bemoaning the lack

of decent curriculum an ok thing to do for a weather interpretor like Cliff Mass. Yes, an employer can fire you for something but I very much disagree with the reason he was fired. It is censoring a scientist reporter. It may be within KUOW's right to do so but it was indeed censoring him.

[uppityperson]

10. I am finding it interesting, your defense of public radio here. Should we patrons simply shut up?

Let them do whatever they want? If you don't want to write them, don't. But I do not understand why you seem to be saying "whatever".

[pscot]

6. The math curriculum is his hobby horse

He talks about it online from time to time. I've been tutoring a 6th grader in math and don't really see what he's complaining about. What he says in his blog is his business, but KUOW was paying him to talk weather, not curriculum issues.

[saras]

11. KUOW went corporate long ago

They've been going out of their way to make it clear that they censor what and whom they feel like censoring, since the early nineties. No surprise here.