During the June 11 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show, co-host Dan Caplis chastised Boulder High School students for directing their anger “toward the media” instead of toward school administrators over the controversy surrounding a University of Colorado Conference of World Affairs (CWA) panel held at the school in April. Caplis warned students who plan to defend their school and speak out on the misleading media coverage at an upcoming school board meeting that they will “feel foolish” someday for having done so.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted (here, here, here, and here), Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and Caplis repeatedly have mischaracterized and lied about the April 10 CWA panel discussion, “STDs: Sex, Teens and Drugs.” Further, O'Reilly and Caplis have been criticized by another media figure, conservative media columnist David Kopel of the Rocky Mountain News, for their on-air misrepresentations about the panel and the ensuing controversy. Boulder High students reportedly have collected approximately 400 signatures petitioning for an apology from O'Reilly over his misleading coverage of the story.

After weeks of calling attention to the story, misrepresenting the local media's coverage of it, and repeatedly taking panelists' quotes out of context by omitting pertinent content, Caplis derided the students for speaking out on the media's coverage. Caplis complained that students are “upset about the ... effect that this is having on the image of their school and they're taking it out on the media.” He then warned them that they are being “used as pawns” by school administrators and will “feel foolish for having been used that way.”

From the June 11 broadcast of 630 KHOW-AM's The Caplis & Silverman Show:

CAPLIS: Well, interesting story in the Daily Camera, reporting on some kids who are going to go to the school board meeting tomorrow night. They're upset about the, the effect that this is having on the image of their school and they're taking it out on the media. Kids, hey, you should be upset with the principal and the school administrators who allowed these knuckleheads to come into your school and, and tell you to do illegal drugs. You know, that's why at this point the reputation of your school's being hurt, not because we're reporting it. The, the tape doesn't lie; they said what they said. And, and so why direct your anger toward the media? And don't you, when you stop and think about it, feel a little foolish about that? Come on [laughs]. The people who allowed this to happen are the administrators of the school. The people who could have made this story go away instantly by taking responsibility and saying this was wrong and sending a letter to the kids saying “don't follow this dangerous advice” are the school administrators. So don't be used as pawns for them to try to deflect attention away from their failure. You're just going to turn around in a week, a month, a year and feel foolish for having been used that way. Blame the people who failed you and encourage them to make this story go away by admitting it was wrong and, and making it right. It's that simple.

A June 11 Boulder Daily Camera article reported that "[s]tudents planning to speak [at a Boulder Valley School Board meeting] -- and who attended the [CWA] panel in April -- said they found the discussion informative, and they think quotes are being taken out of context":

“This whole thing has been misconstrued into this giant, sensationalized practically fabricated news story, and I'd like to go and set the record straight,” said Boulder High incoming junior Jesse Lange.

He said the most frustrating part is that some critics are sending threatening letters to teachers or, in one case, suggesting on air to “punch” those responsible.

“People are taking things way too far,” Jesse said.

Two of the students, Mansur Gidfar and Patrick Garrett, also are gathering signatures on a petition asking Bill O'Reilly to apologize for making “borderline slanderous” remarks on his show, “The O'Reilly Factor.”

Patrick, an incoming junior, said he didn't necessarily agree with everything during the panel's frank discussion, but found it educational.

If O'Reilly and others really want to protect students, they should stop bashing the school, he said.

“It detracts from all the accomplishments and successes of the students and staff,” he said.

As Colorado Media Matters has noted, in his June 2 News column, Kopel -- who also is research director of the conservative Independence Institute and the parent of a child who attends Boulder High -- criticized O'Reilly, Caplis, and co-host Craig Silverman for spreading misinformation about the event. Kopel wrote:

Day after day [The Caplis & Silverman Show] has been playing selected quotes from the panel. Caplis has demanded that “each school authority” be “severely disciplined.” C&S has orchestrated an e-mail and telephone deluge against Boulder High.

[...]

Harping on the need to protect “the children,” C&S arrogates to itself a decision that properly belongs to BHS parents.

Statements of panelists have been shorn of context. C&S tells its audience that panelist Antonio Sacre said that he had stopped using condoms because it “doesn't feel as good.”

Literally true, but nearly libelous. What C&S did not tell the audience was that Sacre explained his regret for his foolish choices about condoms as a teenager. Sacre warned his audience that they should always use condoms -- even if the female is taking birth-control pills -- because of the danger of sexually transmitted diseases, and because there is always a risk of pregnancy. (The full transcript and audio are available at www.bvsdwatch.org, which C&S, to their credit, have linked to on their KHOW Web page.)

Moreover, in asserting that Boulder High administrators could “make this story go away by admitting it was wrong,” Caplis ignored the fact that Superintendent George F. Garcia acknowledged in a May 22 report to the Boulder Valley School District Board that the make-up of the panel “was not in compliance” with district policy and that “administrators, faculty and student organizers have been reminded of this policy and will be expected to comply” with it in the future:

My further conclusion is that the make-up of this panel was not in compliance with BVSD Board Policy INB. This policy, adopted in 1987, can be found on the district's web site and is entitled, “Teaching About Controversial Subjects.” Though this Board policy has no direct effect upon the Conference on World Affairs staff, it is binding upon BVSD faculty and students and was not followed in so far as the panel did not reflect a broad range of views and perspectives much less opposing points of view. Boulder High School administrators, faculty and student organizers have been reminded of this policy and will be expected to comply with it when determining the make-up of future panels.