Apparently, the only thing that onetime America Unearthed host Scott Wolter hates more than me criticizing his work is me ignoring him. I’ve been too busy working on serious, important things to care about the former TV star’s frequent radio rants, so Wolter went on The Family with Tom Barnard to spend 15 minutes badmouthing me. Lest anyone be confused, at one point he slipped and said my name instead of “the blogger.” Odd, though, that he calls me “the blogger” since my publication history, in national magazines, university press books, academic journals, etc., far outstrips his self-published books and freebie Blogspot blog.
But, that, of course, is the problem. In his mind, I am a poseur looking to steal the fame that rightly belongs to him by parasitically attacking his work. Wolter criticizes me for “wanting to be somebody,” alleging that I am driven by a desire to be on TV, to be a writer, and “to be paid for it.” He took credit for getting me “fired” from the Atlantic magazine this spring when the editors elected not to go forward with a planned piece about cable TV programming strategy after Wolter complained to the magazine’s editor-in-chief: “The guy got what he had coming to him,” Wolter said. “That felt really good.”
He alleges that I am driven by the desire for fame and money, and he asserts that I live in a basement. He repeats many times the false claim that I called Wolter a racist. I very clearly and frequently said that I did not believe that he is personally racist; instead, I have consistently said that the claims he makes about European colonization of the pre-Columbian Americas and the Old World origin of secret knowledge are rooted in Victorian era racism and carry with them racist implications. It is impossible for him to believe that someone might disagree with him on principle. Now the thing is that Scott Wolter misrepresented what I said in our email exchange, and he misrepresented the correspondence between us. He might do well to remember that I have copies of all of the emails, too, and would be happy to publish them. In those emails, I am entirely polite and professional. I won’t characterize his side of the conversation because I value others’ dignity. I can’t comment on the Atlantic’s opinion of him because the NDA I signed with them prevents me from relaying their thoughts after reading his emails to me. Suffice it to say they would not agree with his characterization of events. It never did occur to him that that he wasn’t the subject of the article. “I don’t think any of my Native friends would want to hang out with this guy,” Wolter eventually says, egged on by Barnard to new heights of pique. “Can I use the word ‘dick’?” Oddly enough, I studied Native cultures in college, worked with Native people, and was good friends with a member of the Seneca nation. That’s really neither here nor there, except to remind Wolter that Native people are not monolithic, and a diversity of viewpoints within their communities accommodates many perspectives. After crowing a bit more about how Wolter allegedly damaged my career, he tells Barnard that he was pleased with the outcome. “That had a happy ending,” Wolter claims. Yes, it did—because I went on to the New Republic, where I published a piece that was much more widely read and distributed than my aborted minor piece about cable TV programming strategies ever would. I can’t imagine that piece would have garnered coverage in the New York Times or the Washington Post like my New Republic piece did. Ironically, all Wolter really accomplished was to keep his own name out of a major American magazine, where he might have had a bigger and more prestigious audience learning about him than at any time since his show was dropped from one network and then the next. But, hey, local Minnesota radio is the same thing, right? As I said when I started my current round of projects in service of my new book, I do not want this for me. I am pushing myself into the national media conversation because I need to prove to publishers that I have the national profile to effectively promote the book I recently wrote. I don’t want to be famous. I have no desire to be on TV. (I have, as they say, a face for radio.) I was ready to quit public life forever last year, and that wouldn’t have bothered me at all. But I have something I believe in and believe needs to be said, and I will do what I must to get it in print. And the next time Wolter tries misrepresenting himself as a hero for withstanding the horrible “gotcha” question of “how do you feel?”, he best remember that emails are copied in two directions.
70 Comments
Jim
6/19/2021 03:54:44 pm
Wolter went off on you again when someone on Twitter pointed out his fake honorary degree.
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Jim
6/20/2021 09:21:03 am
And hilarity ensued.
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Machala
6/20/2021 01:22:37 pm
Scott Wolter HAS NO CREDIBILITY!! The man is a complete fraud and a self-delusional wanna-be.
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Kent
6/21/2021 07:59:29 am
Honorary degrees are given by universities not "my professors" and do not come in the form of a cup of coffee.
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Doc Rock
6/21/2021 07:54:59 pm
I will probably regret this, but after a long leisurely happy hour what the heck.
Kent
6/23/2021 04:53:32 pm
Don't overthink it Doctor Korsakoff. A story about a cup of coffee is not an honorary degree even if you put it on and subsequently remove it from your resume. See how short that was?
Doc Rock
6/23/2021 08:28:31 pm
Sorry there J.F., but someone who went on a tangent about diving in a discussion of Wolter's alleged honorary degrees and then posted a second time, and who will most likely hit us with a third round of blah, blah, blah probably shouldn't be lecturing others on word economy.
Scoutmaster obvious
6/25/2021 07:55:58 am
This reminds me of the time that Joe Kent called someone out for a spelling error but made even worse errors while doing it.
Doc Rock
6/26/2021 07:32:28 pm
I'm not sure which member of Clan Obvious that I am addressing, but anyway. I taught an undergrad/M.A. Applied Anthropology class. I had to teach the students how to develop both a resume and a vita since the seniors who weren't applying to grad school were planning to apply for a wide range of largely non-academic positions at independent research centers, non-profits, and state and local government agencies. Some required a resume and others required a vita. I've been involved in reviewing applications for entry level and mid-level research staff positions at a non-academic research center. Applicants were required to submit a vita. But if my memory serves me correctly, administrative staff applications only required a resume.
CEO obvious
6/27/2021 01:17:07 pm
There are literally countless professional services and websites that describe themselves as assisting people in the business world in writing CVs. The site TopCV is one such example. The idea that the term CV is limited to academics is patently false.
Doc Rock
6/29/2021 09:40:16 am
REO Obvious
Kent
6/20/2021 07:27:22 am
It's good that things are happening for you but you'll (both) want to think twice before publishing emails written by someone else.
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Paul
6/20/2021 03:47:10 pm
Ah, Scottie Wolter, ye ole narcissistic jackass. Book sales have tanked, can not get slotted on cable. Lost in the nether world of minimally viewed podcasts. Scottie, can’t you take a hint, just go away already.
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Patrick Leary
6/20/2021 04:09:01 pm
Scott Wolter is easily triggered to the point of becoming irrational. This is very apparent when reading through the comments section of his blog, which he often heavily censors. After he wrote about the vandalism of the "American Stonehenge" site I took issue with his false characterization of the site and his characterization of archaeologists' indifference to it. I politely pointed out that there is no evidence to support it as a pre-contact site, archaeologists have worked all over the surrounding area and have found no supporting material, and that archaeologists have more pressing concerns about authentic sites that are in danger of destruction. Wolter did not post my comments but then addressed me on the blog claiming that I had made false and incendiary statements and that my comments had been turned over to law enforcement for investigation. I then told him that if that was the case he should post my comments and let the readers judge the merits of my comments for themselves. He refused to post those comments as well.
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Kent
6/21/2021 10:22:33 am
Remember at least two things: The owner of "America's Stonehenge" REARRANGED the rocks. So the "alignments" were not made by Phoenicians/fish people.. And... Scott Wolter was grandfathered in to get his license, didn;t have to take a test like other people. That could account for his dodgy knowledge of agates.
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doc rock
6/22/2021 08:06:51 am
Mr. Leary
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Kent
6/23/2021 07:10:27 am
Mr. Wolter thinks QAnon started in 2012. I say it was started by rogue Templars.
P. Leary
6/22/2021 09:19:59 pm
Skeptic sites are known for permitting open debate and discussion even on occasions when the host is proven to be in error. I'm thinking of Carl Feagins and Andy White and obviously Jason Colavito as some examples. People like Wolter are known for not permitting posts, deleting posts, and blocking posters who present logical arguments and facts. The respective camps' actions speak for themselves.
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Harold Edwards
6/20/2021 04:46:50 pm
Scott Wolter began his career as an “archaeologist” by defending the authenticity of the Kensington Runestone in 2000. Through the years he has claimed his geology expertise is superior to that of professional runologists who have consistently since 1899 judged the artifact a 19th Century fake. I am also a geologist and have just published a paper in the 2020 issue of The Minnesota Archaeologist, “The Kensington Runestone: Geological Evidence of a Hoax.” The abstract is:
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Jim
6/21/2021 01:55:29 pm
Thanks for the link Harold, I will save that for this evening.
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Harold Edwards
6/21/2021 05:08:12 pm
Your question on Wieblen’s lack of finding biotite is answered in my paper pages 9-10. I am not sure even Wolter knows what he means when he says (your paraphrase) “the biotite on the exterior of the runestone weathered away completely proving it's great age.” To a layman it sounds like technical geology. To geologist it is gibberish, geobabble. Obviously the exterior of the runestone has not weathered away or we would see empty air. Therefore what is it that we are looking at? Wolter dose not identify what material is in the surface.
will
7/28/2021 06:17:41 pm
I might be wrong, but didn't Wolter ruin it by putting some chemical on it during one of his "tests"?
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Lyn McConchie
6/20/2021 05:27:28 pm
Kent is right about that. The person who wrote the letters/emails holds copyright to them. You can physically own the print copies, but not the publishing rights.
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Darold knowles
6/22/2021 05:26:53 pm
Wolter is publicly discussing (and misrepresenting) the content of the email exchange and therefore he has explicitly waived any copyright or confidentiality rights. Jason, as a party to the email exchange, has every right to publish the emails to correct the public record to protect his own reputation. Kent is talking out of his ass as usual.
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Kent
6/24/2021 06:43:09 am
No you are flat wrong. Talking about emails doesn't waive copyright.. The Salinger case might edumacate you.
Darold knowles
6/24/2021 03:41:40 pm
I’m flat right and you know it. You can’t publicly misrepresent the content of an email exchange and then claim copyright to stop the aggrieved party from publicly correcting the record. He’s obviously waived his rights in a blatantly explicit manner.
kent
6/27/2021 12:41:26 pm
Three days later, still not right. Absent say, discovery opoena or a warrrent or ..., in a legal process Wolter can't be required to reveal the text of his own emails even if he has talked about them. I think you have a bit of a dreamworld thing going on. Educamate yourself Sir.
R. Goslin
6/27/2021 05:18:41 pm
Unless someone can cite specific case law that it could be argued applies to this specific case, the principle of Fair Use would supersede copyright considerations. That is, if Mr. Colavito elected to reproduce the material in a manner appropriate to Fair Use in the form of critical commentary or setting the record straight in the face of claims that can be demonstrated to be false and potentially actionable.
Darold knowles
6/27/2021 05:32:25 pm
A “discovery opoena or a warrrent” huh? Well, thanks for clarifying that for me! lol
Nick Danger
6/28/2021 10:08:05 am
Perhaps I have been misled, but I perceived the argument to concern whether Mr. Colavito may publish the emails, not whether Mr. Wolter may be forced to reveal their contents...
Kent
7/6/2021 01:31:56 pm
@Darold Knowles: I am sorry my dishonorable typo offended you. I have truly brought shame upon my ancestors.
Darold knowles
7/7/2021 04:44:13 pm
“Absent say, discovery opoena or a warrrent or ..., in a legal process Wolter can't be required to reveal the text of his own emails even if he has talked about them.”
Kent
6/20/2021 05:44:40 pm
15:35 "No one supports and appreciates their experience, the genocide that they've experienced, and how beautiful a culture the natives have." Maybe that could have been said better.
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Jim
6/21/2021 11:52:08 am
Scottie says he purchased some of these new carvings found in a cave in Texas. Supposedly written in various languages including Egyptian and Portuguese wording written in Latin. (????) He claims they were likely left by Portuguese crypto Jews who were dropped off on the coast of Texas by Christopher Columbus whom he claims never landed on continental America.
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kent
6/28/2021 07:31:01 am
No, he said the Portugese text was written in Hebrew letters, like Yiddish (thought he didn't say *that*).
Hilda Hilpert
7/12/2021 10:09:56 am
Wait what's this on him buying carvings found in some cave in Texas.Where in Texas? There are plenty of caves all over the place, especially in this area. You have the Bracken Bat Cave, home the world's largest colony of mexican free tail bats.The cave is more near the area of Garden Ridge, as the actual town of Bracken is along the Old Kings Highway or Camino Real as the spanish called it. There is also Natural Bridge Caverns, and out near Boerne is a couple of caves, Plus Wonder Cave near San Marcos and the Devil's Backbone.If you drive FM1863 which runs along in one place Cibolo Creek, you can see caves. There are some in the New Braunfels area, not open to tourists, and all around this area east and north of San Antonio, and they are mainly limestone caves.. I haven't seen anything on any of the San Antonio local Tv channels about this, nor in the San Antonio Express News, so I think the story is made up.
Brian
6/21/2021 11:15:16 am
It's a sad comment on humanity that the sane have to work so hard to achieve any recognition or acknowledgment, while all the loons have to do is open their yaps and spew whatever inane nonsense dribbles out from their two barely functioning synapses and boom, they're featured on television, radio, and in the Times.
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Scott Wolter has put forward so many wrong claims, under certain perspectives, etc. etc. that his case is quite clear.
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Jim
6/21/2021 02:45:35 pm
"Jason's accusation of racism is often quite subtle though often correct (but sometimes also beyond being justifiable, generalizing things which may not be generalized)."
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Kent
6/21/2021 03:51:28 pm
Get ready America: Jim is correct here.
Jim, to assume that the senders (broadcasters, authors, presenters, whoever) of racist messages are completely not racist themselves is rather naive. Of course, money is the main driver, but making money with racist messages is ... racist. Surprise, surprise! And the intelligence of the senders is sufficient to understand this, so they do it intentionally. At least after they had been informed by Jason :-)
Jim
6/21/2021 07:13:01 pm
T. Franke, I was right, you just don't get it.
kent
6/22/2021 04:58:40 am
Once again Jim is right! Phoenecians WERE the the first whites in America but sadly we've done a pisspoor job of killing the Indians. There are still majestic herds of height-gene-expressing Indians roaming the massive American veldt.
Jim, just a question, in order to understand this.
Rock Knocker
6/21/2021 02:47:24 pm
I am routinely embarrassed to be in the same profession as Scotty…but to be clear, I’m not in the “forensic” concrete-testing “expert witness” part.
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Kent
6/21/2021 07:51:42 pm
Hey, I have same planet same species same race embarrassment. He's a shanda for everybody. And a really bad advertisement for Freemasonry.
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Jim
6/25/2021 12:22:33 am
As a bit of an aside, Scott Wolter's "Finders Keepers" amigos who helped him look for the Holy Grail in season 1 episode 13 of America Unearthed are now duking it out with the FBI over Civil War Gold.
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Jim, please don't forget to answer my question above! I am really interested in your opinion.
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Earl of Atlantis
6/27/2021 10:32:37 am
Franke has gone from denying any use of the Atlantis Myth to support colonialist and imperialist narratives to crafting a carefully worded statement specifying official statements. Colonialist or imperialist refers to anyone who supports or advocates colonial or imperial endeavors. Franke's English probably isn't sufficient to fully grasp this meaning. Colavito was correct in his discussion. Franke wasn't and he will stay here until doomsday pursuing an argument against an imaginary assertion.
Jim
6/27/2021 12:35:09 pm
I don't know what the problem is. The idea that Atlantis was used by the Spanish in a racist fashion has already been established. Jason as far as I know didn't put any specific time on this. You are mentioning a specific time when perhaps it wasn't in vogue, but the fact that it did happen has already been established here.
Thank you, I have seen enough.
Kent
6/28/2021 07:36:22 am
Columbus was named by the king (queen?) "Admiral of the Ocean Seas" and more importantly, Viceroy of all the lands he discovered.
Jim
6/30/2021 03:18:52 pm
T Franke:
Doc Rock
7/7/2021 11:21:37 am
Jim,
Kal
6/30/2021 03:42:01 pm
The KRS is as fake as Scotty. It was carved in the 1800s by an ancestor cousin of mine Ohlmann.whose descendants joked about it in 2011 at a party in Minnesota. They knew it was a fake.
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Harold Edwards
7/7/2021 01:38:19 pm
There is no land claim in the text of the Kensington Runestone. Anyone thinking otherwise should seek the advice of a mental health professional. Here is a translation of the text. Read it and find the land claim!
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Kent
7/10/2021 04:09:12 pm
You misunderstand. Wolter does not claim that the Swedish Crown made land claims in North America, he claims that the Templars made one.
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Jarl Obvious
7/14/2021 12:20:08 pm
By identifying themselves in writing and providing the date the explorers would be readily identified as subjects of the Swedish Crown of that time. Therefore, double top secret Templars or not, the stone would be a defacto claim of territory for Sweden. That is, if one wishes to make the leap in logic that the stone is in fact a claim.
Kent
7/16/2021 03:57:44 pm
That don't befront me. You missed the obvious: I said "Wolter...claims." Take it up with him.
Jarl Obvious
7/23/2021 11:01:39 am
I did take it up with Wolter since my comments were obviously directed toward his claim.
An Over-Educated Grunt
7/14/2021 06:05:08 pm
Hilariously, the ever inscrutable DoD filter categorizes this post and (of the current front page posts) ONLY this post as racist hate speech.
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Jim
7/21/2021 01:36:06 pm
Wolter Interview:
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Kent
7/23/2021 12:05:11 am
Some of soil, as is well known, is composed of rocks. Sand is rock. Sandy soil. Where does the weathered part of the rock go? What does the fox say?
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Jim
7/28/2021 03:45:32 pm
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE WACKADOODLE KIND
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Kent
7/29/2021 10:17:50 pm
Someone finally figured out and tipped Scott off to the "Scott you suck" in Swedish posts and all the followup posts. So they've been pulled. He should put "Huge Dick" on his resume since he doesn't have a Master's Degree. Or a huge dick but that's not my problem.
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Jim
8/12/2021 11:20:45 pm
As Wolter likes to say "stay tuned".
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Harold Edwards
8/13/2021 07:50:37 pm
#@**!##!!!!!
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Jim
8/15/2021 05:23:27 pm
Wolter's Twitter feed is still a riot.
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Ciara Brier
10/20/2022 11:58:05 am
I miss these Wolter updates. They are my favorite. The guy had promise, now any conspiracy theory that comes along he clings to.
Reply
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