The California Science Museum is being sued for canceling a film promoting intelligent design. This is a fact.
What is unclear is the actual reason for the cancellation. The Museum simply states that the "client" didn't fulfill all the obligations of the contract - they didn't have a completed press release submitted in time. Some say that the Museum canceled the film because of pressure from the Smithsonian. The California Science Museum holds a privileged affiliate position with the Smithsonian and it's conceivable that it would be more responsive to Smithsonian interests (in this case, not promoting a less than scientifically supported theory about the origins of life).
Whatever the reason for the cancellation, I am drawn to consider this whole situation a failure of management and governance. Without knowing all the facts, it strikes me that the Board of the Museum could simply have a policy that defines its position around intelligent design or a broader position that says what it won't do or will do from an exhibit perspective of course linking this policy to mission.
Now, if the museum does indeed have such a policy I would suggest that what we have is a failure of management to stop this problem before it occurred. Whoever up the chain of command accepted this contract needs to have a conversation about what was going on in his/her head. Not accepting the contract might have caused a different set of problems, but at least the museum could stand tall and speak to mission or policy.
At this juncture, the museum board and management both look bad. The museum looks like it has a policy without transparency. And management looks like they failed in not following the policy. Internally, this is a lose-lose situation.
For more on the story, see the LA Times.