Friday May 13, 2005 will be a day where confusion ran amok on the Hallerin Hilton Hill morning talk show in Knoxville, TN on NewsTalk 100.
The confusion began on Thursday, Hal talked about a story that ran on World Net Daily, a reliable internet news source. Fox & Friends , a national television morning news show on Thursday talked about the story.
The story is that Karns Elementary School Principal Cathy Summa reprimanded a group of children, specifically 10 year old Luke Whitson for reading their/his Bible on the playground during recess.
Friday morning the local Knoxville News-Sentinel ran a story about the incident quoting Martha McCampbell, a lawyer with the Knox County Law Department stating that a student may bring their bible during free time and indicates that recess may be a part of the instructional day.
Friday Morning Hallerin has Principal Summa along with Knox County School PR Guy Russ Oaks on the air. They dispute the story and criticize the World Net Daily for not contacting the school district before running the story. Hal’s producer Chris Marion talks with a man purporting to be the child’s father that says it is all just a big misunderstanding and everything is fine now. At which time Hallerin apologizes and assumes that the story is fabricated.
An hour later Hallerin receives a call from Mr. Pope. Mr. Pope informs Hallerin that he and Luke Whitson’s mom had just gotten off the morning national news show Fox & Friends. That he sent demand letters to the Superintendent of Schools, the Knox County Board Chair and the Schools lawyer. That Mrs. Summa had reprimanded young Mr. Whitson and that he representing Mr. Whitson would be proceeding with action.
This is where it all got real confusing as Hallerin began saying “wait, Mrs. Summa sat right here in my studio and said it didn’t happen” at which point Mr. Pope states “well, I would like to see her new position in writing, because Mr. Whitson was reprimanded on the playground during recess for reading his Bible.”
At which point Hallerin begins wanting Mrs. Whitson, Luke’s mom on the air. While Chris Marion the producer is trying to get Luke’s mom on the air. Dave Foulk in the newsroom of NewsTalk 100 gets a call from KCS PR Guy Russ Oaks saying “We received the demand letter this morning.”
At which point the show ends and all went quiet. Only to leave those listening with lots of questions and much confusion.
Who is on First, What is at second, Why is Third and Where in the world is HOME?
