The tactic of quenching occurs when a deliberate attempt is made to keep any opinions other than the favored opinion from receiving any attention. This is a form of message control and the opposite side of spamming.
Bill Nye was actually criticized by his fellow atheists for debating a creationist. Dr Jerry Coyne, professor of ecology at the University of Chicago, says that:
The response from the evolutionist side is clear: let’s not give creation any exposure.
Atheist, Jerry Coyne: “… he [Bill Nye] should just continue to write and talk about the issue on his own, and not debate creationists. By so doing, he gives them credibility simply by appearing beside them on the platform.”
Atheist, Richard Dawkins: “I agree that to do this on Ham’s home turf was a mistake, and indeed it is almost always a mistake to give wingnuts [note the typical Richard Dawkins ad hominem fallacy] the oxygen of publicity, and the respectability of being seen on a platform with a real scientist, anywhere.”
Chicago Sun-Times: “Bill Nye wastes his time debating creationists”
An unknown commenter on the Atheist PZ Myers’ Blog: “I think the extreme emotional reaction … to the idea of debating Creationists shows that the debate really isn’t about science vs. religion, but is one religious view-(Atheism) pitted against another.”
“The overall reluctance of atheists to debate creationists was never more evident than in 2009 when the World Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia rejected CMI-Australia’s challenge to debate, as documented in this article. As our Australian office had a wealth of Ph.D. creation scientists on staff, and the leading lights in atheism would be converging in one place, it seemed to be an ideal time to match up. But as one commenter on notorious atheist PZ Myers’ blog said at the time:” Answers in Genesis
