Sarah Palin nature series ruffling environmentalist feathers
| Washington
OK, maybe Sarah Palin is no David Attenborough.
奥丑辞鈥檚 David Attenborough? He鈥檚 that Brit with the plummy voice who鈥檚 narrated nature documentaries for some 50 years. The kind that run on BBC and have dialogue like, 鈥渁nd the minke whales are feasting on the plankton.鈥�
Ms. Palin has her own new nature series, if you haven鈥檛 heard. It鈥檚 called 鈥淪arah Palin鈥檚 Alaska,鈥� and it鈥檚 going to air on TLC, formerly known as The Learning Channel. We鈥檙e guessing plankton isn鈥檛 going to figure much in the plot.
But is Palin actually unfit to host such a show? The environmental group Friends of the Earth thinks so. They sent out a press release recently to that effect.
Her denial that humans contribute to climate change means she鈥檚 anti-science, according to Friends of the Earth. They鈥檙e mounting a campaign to get TLC鈥檚 corporate parent, Discovery Communications, to drop her.
鈥淔or a corporation that has built its reputation on educating viewers about scientific realities, the decision to give Palin a platform is an alarming detour,鈥� says Friends of the Earth.
Hmm. Have they actually, you know, watched any Discovery Communications shows lately?
Sure, the firm鈥檚 flagship Discovery Channel showcases that new show 鈥淟ife,鈥� which has Oprah Winfrey narrating glorious shots of frogs that bounce, among other wonders.
But the meat of the channel鈥檚 schedule isn鈥檛 about science anymore. It鈥檚 about the realities of blue-collar life. 鈥淎merican Loggers,鈥� 鈥�Dirty Jobs,鈥� and 鈥�Verminators鈥� are among its highest-rated features.
And TLC itself is not exactly airing features about how the continents came to be. Among its shows are 鈥�Cake Boss,鈥� 鈥�19 Kids and Counting,鈥� and 鈥淧olice Women of Maricopa County.鈥�
In that context, a show about Sarah Palin and Alaska will fit right in. Presumably it will have lots of riding around on all-terrain vehicles, and hunting, and salmon filleting. As opposed to round-table discussions of how global warming is caused by Al Gore鈥檚 books.
It might even be a step up intellectually from another Discovery show, 鈥�Cash Cab,鈥� which features a taxi that serves as a sort of roving surprise game-show set.
Palin is reportedly getting $1 million per episode for her efforts. The eight-part series is set to be produced by Emmy winner Mark Burnett.
鈥淥ur family enjoys Discovery鈥檚 networks,鈥� said Palin in a news release when the show was announced. 鈥淚 look forward to working with Mark to bring the wonder and majesty of Alaska to all Americans.鈥�
