By David Rice
UTurn's recent article attacking Echo Schneider's fitness to serve as library board president represents a departure from balanced journalism in favor of guilt by association tactics. While attempting to raise concerns about library governance, the article relies heavily on personal attacks and tenuous connections rather than examining Schneider's actual performance or qualifications.
The current controversy extends far beyond local issues though . As reported by Them: "Republican officials in at least eight states are pushing to completely withdraw from the American Library Association (ALA)... Montana State Library Commission withdrew all state libraries from ALA membership" (Riedel, 2023)
Arizona
Idaho
Illinois
Georgia
Louisiana
South Carolina
Wyoming
Montana (already withdrawn)
Montana State Library Commission's specific reasoning for leaving the ALA is because the supposedly storied organization "undermines the shared goals of Montana libraries.”
Further, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Kevin Cramer, and Mike Braun demanded suspension of federal funding.
American Library Association Controversy
The UTurn article ignores the significant context that eight states are currently considering withdrawing from the ALA, with Montana having already done so. This exodus follows the ALA president's self-identification as a "Marxist lesbian" and concerns about the organization's ideological shift. Many library professionals seek alternatives for professional development and policy guidance while maintaining core library principles.
ALA President Emily Drabinski's tweet: "I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of [the ALA]. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity!"
Historical Context of Marxism in Practice
To understand the justifiable concerns about institutional Marxism, it's important to note documented historical impacts:
The Black Book of Communism (Harvard University Press, 1997) compiled death tolls under Marxist regimes [I requested Christian County Library add this book to their collection but was denied.]:
USSR: 20 million deaths
China: 65 million deaths
Vietnam: 1 million deaths
North Korea: 2 million deaths
Cambodia: 2 million deaths
Eastern Europe: 1 million deaths
Latin America: 150,000 deaths
Africa: 1.7 million deaths
Afghanistan: 1.5 million deaths
These numbers provide context for why many Americans are concerned about institutional embrace of Marxist ideology.
World Library Association
Rather than evaluate the WLA's stated goals or achievements, UTurn attempts to discredit it through selective portrayal of certain members. The organization appears focused on providing alternative resources for libraries seeking local control over policies - a legitimate aim in library governance.
The WLA's stated mission focuses on:
Local control over library policies
Professional development alternatives
Community standards in collection development
Transparent governance processes
From their website: "Our mission is simple, Your Library, Your Way™. We make best practice suggestions, you decide whether to use them."
Echo Schneider's Record
Notably absent from UTurn's coverage is any substantive criticism of Schneider's actual work as board president. Instead, the article relies on attacking others associated with WLA and implying guilt through these connections. This approach sidesteps fundamental questions about her competence and performance.
Notable absences from UTurn's coverage include:
- Any specific criticisms of her board decisions
- Evidence of policy violations
- Complaints about her leadership
- Problems with her qualifications
Instead, UTurn relies on guilt by association through:
- Links to unrelated individuals
- Speculation about motives
- Attacks on WLA members
- Mischaracterization of professional affiliations
Assassination Tactics
The article employs several concerning techniques:
Uses the tragic suicide of Shawn McBreairty to attack others
UTurn wants to tell us about the high rate of suicide among Trans teens. What about the high rate of suicide among men?
Presents one-sided allegations against Vicki Baggett without evidence or response
They never quote Vicki or give evidence of racism from anything she actually says.
The articles that malign her use the same tactics as UTurn.
Characterizes Dan Kleinman's criticism of public figures as harassment
The lawsuit against Dan Kleinman for exposing the work of Amanda Jones, a public figure who entered the fight on behalf of the ALA demonstrates that the ALA will use Lawfare to defend themselves rather than Free Speech and Public Discourse.
Portrays Bruce Friedman's legal challenges as inherently illegitimate
Alternately, if Friedman was a leftist, they might have said, using the system to fight the system is brilliant.
It’s how you defeat an unjust system. You can’t win against a bureaucracy more interested in reelections than in children by fighting it fairly.
A More Balanced View:
A fair examination would:
Focus on Schneider's actual decisions and leadership
Consider legitimate debates about ALA's current direction
Acknowledge that professional associations can have diverse membership
Evaluate library policies based on their merits rather than personal attacks
The article ultimately fails to make a case against Schneider's fitness to serve, instead relying on character assassination by proxy. In doing so, it undermines rather than advances important discussions about library governance and community standards.
Analysis of UTurn's Coverage: Logical Fallacies and Source Review
Guilt by Association Fallacies
UTurn attempts to discredit Echo Schneider through WLA membership without addressing her performance:
"Echo Schneider (fka Alexzander), is a 'Team Member' of the 'World Library Association'. This new group's apparent goal is to damage the oldest, largest, and most respected library association in the world" (UTurn article)
This ignores that, as reported in the Gillette News Record:
"What I would like to see for it is that it be a resource for librarians, as well as those who want to make their libraries more conservative" (Bear, quoted in Gallardo, 2023)
Using McBreairty's death to taint Echo & WLA:
In 2024, Shawn McBrearity passed away. He took his own life. In the UTurn article, they state, “He’s also famous for baiting and suing multiple school districts in Maine. McBrearity died by self inflicted gunshot in June 2024.” Without taking a break, UTurn ties his suicide directly to his activism against radical school districts.
In another article, Uturn links to, it makes accusations against McBreairty that can’t be established. "It's not known whether Shawn McBreairty saw MFM's 'Attack' video during that time, but it seems likely he would have at least heard about it" (Busby, 2018)
This last quotation from Busby represents pure speculation presented as fact and neither Busby nor UTurn wants want you to dig deeper.
Ad Hominem Attacks
Against Dan Kleinman:
The defamation and false light lawsuit appears aimed at silencing criticism of public officials. As reported in Library Journal:
"Jones is still awaiting judgment on the re-petition of her original case in Louisiana, spent a year considering taking action against Kleinman before finally deciding to sue him" (O'Brien & Weidmayer, 2024)
Against Vicki Baggett:
The allegations rely entirely on unverified student claims. From Popular Information:
"Popular Information previously reported that, in 2015, Baggett posted an image of the Confederate Flag to her Facebook page" (Legum & Crosby, 2022)
However, no direct evidence of classroom misconduct is provided beyond student allegations. No quotes are provided of racism. Getting all of the information second-hand is some evidence, but what they have as direct quotes is not racism. None of the students provided direct quotes or video evidence about her beliefs related to intermarriage between people with different skin color. For these types of accusations, we need an exceptionally high standard of evidence. We cannot accept the word of people anymore.
False Equivalence
Equating ALA membership with endorsement of all member views:
The Gillette News Record reports a more nuanced reality:
"Butler said it's meant to give people a choice, and he likened it to car companies... 'Some people like Fords, some people like Chevys, and right now the only dealership you've got in town is a Ford'" (Gallardo, 2023).
The ALA is an organization that represents some Librarians. It is not homogeneous, nor is it the only one. To say it is the only one is a misrepresentation of nearly nine other organizations out there, some of them just as radical as the ALA. Why would it be wrong for some Libraries to have a place to go that doesn’t have the radical or Marxist beliefs that the ALA espouses? Shouldn’t Librarians have more than one politburo to apply to? More than one Commissar?
Previously, Dan Kleinman was accused of calling for Censoring of books, but he challenged the ALA writer, Marta L. Magnuson, and she conceded the points. Maybe UTurn in Education will concede they were wrong for using these fallacies against Echo Schneider and apologize as Ms. Magnuson did?
Conclusion
UTurn's coverage fails basic journalistic standards by:
Ignoring relevant context
Using guilt by association
Presenting selective evidence
Engaging in character assassination
Avoiding substantive policy discussion
The broader debate about library governance deserves better than partisan attacks masquerading as journalism. Whenever I write about UTurn, I diligently work to apply the highest level of journalistic standards. I try to use these guidelines more and more in my writing for journalism, notwithstanding when I do Satire which is a separate animal.
I do so because they claim that we have no journalistic ethics on our side. UTurn’s article on Echo was demonstrably a hit piece with no journalistic integrity or value. It lacked any truth. It doesn’t frame the issue for why Echo shouldn’t be a board member or the Board president in a substantive way.
They have no arguments for or against Echo in their article beyond she has associated herself with patriots who fight against the Sexually Exploitative Material in our Libraries. Good on Echo, then. Shame on UTurn for supporting the wrong side of this issue once again.
I’ll begin to close with a quotation from Heterodoxy in the Stacks:
"Yet, I can't help but think the sheer, litigious drama of the years-long battle was high in emotion and low on results" (Dudley, 2024)
If we would have a more productive dialogue about library governance rather than personal attacks, maybe there wouldn’t be the need for a WLA or for heroes like Echo Schneider.
Because the ALA has made that impossible and will continue to support directly or indirectly lawfare against anyone that stands against them, we need heroes in the Library standing against these Character Assassinations by people who lost their love for humanity a long time ago.
There be dragons in the stacks…
You can access Rice's article by clicking here:
No comments:
Post a Comment