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Catholic World News News Feature

Scientist punished for Intelligent Design article, federal probe confirms August 19, 2005

A federal government investigator has confirmed that a scientist suffered harassment at the Smithsonian Institution because he agreed to publish an essay on Intelligent Design in a scientific journal that he edited.

Dr. Richard Sternberg, the editor of the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, reported that he was subjected to verbal abuse by other senior scientists at the prestigious federal research institution immediately after the appearance of the journal article.

Although the essay had been approved for publication after peer review by other qualified scientists, the Smithsonian staff violently objected to the appearance of an article that questioned the theories of Darwinian evolution, Steinberg said. He reports that colleagues questioned his competence and honesty, and circulated false rumors about his own scholarly work.

"They were saying I accepted money under the table, that I was a crypto-priest, that I was a sleeper cell operative for the creationists," Steinberg told the Washington Post. The Post today reported that the US Office of Special Counsel has confirmed Steinberg's complaints. The campaign against Steinberg was clearly a response to the Intelligent Design article, wrote James McVay for the Office of Special Counsel. He said that the "retaliation came in many forms," including "misinformation that was disseminated through the Smithsonian Institution and to outside sources."