From HSLDA e-Lert of October 14, 2003:

CBS National News ran a negative homeschooling report last night titled "The Dark Side of Homeschooling" and will run a further report this evening. The reports focus on a handful of child abuse cases during the past 5 to 10 years involving families claiming to be homeschoolers.

Last night's segment discussed the murder of Kyle, 13, and Marnie Warren, 19, by their brother Brandon, 14, and his subsequent suicide. The Warren family is from Johnston County North Carolina.

To view the CBS story go to:
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=1139

Missing from the CBS story was that: Social Services had contacted the family eleven times, were well aware of the condition of the home and had been working with the family.

However, to any fair-minded reader the story leaves the impression that homeschooling equals child abuse.

We are outraged that CBS would ignore the obvious facts and draw the erroneous conclusion that homeschoolers need to be strictly regulated. The story is a shameless attempt to smear an entire community of committed, dedicated parents.

The real story is CBS's bias against homeschooling and it is using this distorted story to encourage the regulation of homeschoolers.

Please call Viacom (parent company of CBS) and CBS to express your opposition to the biased reporting and smear campaign against homeschooling. Highlight the fact that homeschooling was not the cause of the childrens' deaths and that you expect CBS to have higher journalistic standards.

Viacom President and CEO - Mel Karmazin
P - 212-258-6000

CBS Evening News - LA Bureau
P - (323) 575-2202

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President