Action Alert: I'm doing MY part!
I just wrote four letters to the following four addresses: newshour@pbs.org, support@abcnews.go.com, evening@cbsnews.com, and nightly@nbc.com.
My purpose was to ask for reporting on the Downing Street Memo. I'd suggest that you do the same, gentle reader. For now, it's the best way to make our voices heard. Here's the text of my letter:
At the beginning of May, the minutes of a 2002 meeting that included Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior national security team were made public.
In the minutes of the meeting, held months before the Bush administration announced any intention to go to war with Iraq, it is stated that the decision to go to war had already been made in the White House, and that the search was on for a means to justify that war.
This isn't news to you or your staff, but after four weeks, it has yet to be addressed by much of the American news media. No British official claims that the meeting didn't take place, and it was attended by a group of the highest British government officials. That alone makes it a newsworthy issue.
Are the American people to be denied information on this by those we look to for information? The duty of journalists is to ask questions, to investigate, and to ensure that American citizens are informed about matters of importance that shape the very course of the nation. In avoiding coverage of this issue, OOO News is failing in that duty.
I grew up respecting the free press, and relying on it to make me an informed citizen. But in the face of a story that could implicate the US government in a treasonous act, I have instead been subjected to stories about runaway brides and the trials of eccentric celebrities. America is fortunate enough to have a press which is free to speak truth to power, but a press that is unwilling to use that freedom serves no purpose in a democratic society.
Now that the mainstream press is acknowledging the power of blogs, and now that we've seen some examples of liberal activism working, we have to keep it up-- we have to match the energy of right-wing fundamentalists. It might be something of a drag, but it only takes a few minutes out of your day and it makes a difference. And as you all know, this is a high stakes battle.
PS- I've said it before, but it still holds true-- personalizing your message makes a difference. A hundred copies of the same letter isn't as good as one original plea. And I managed to quote one of my favorite movies in the title of this post. Can anyone name it?
My purpose was to ask for reporting on the Downing Street Memo. I'd suggest that you do the same, gentle reader. For now, it's the best way to make our voices heard. Here's the text of my letter:
At the beginning of May, the minutes of a 2002 meeting that included Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior national security team were made public.
In the minutes of the meeting, held months before the Bush administration announced any intention to go to war with Iraq, it is stated that the decision to go to war had already been made in the White House, and that the search was on for a means to justify that war.
This isn't news to you or your staff, but after four weeks, it has yet to be addressed by much of the American news media. No British official claims that the meeting didn't take place, and it was attended by a group of the highest British government officials. That alone makes it a newsworthy issue.
Are the American people to be denied information on this by those we look to for information? The duty of journalists is to ask questions, to investigate, and to ensure that American citizens are informed about matters of importance that shape the very course of the nation. In avoiding coverage of this issue, OOO News is failing in that duty.
I grew up respecting the free press, and relying on it to make me an informed citizen. But in the face of a story that could implicate the US government in a treasonous act, I have instead been subjected to stories about runaway brides and the trials of eccentric celebrities. America is fortunate enough to have a press which is free to speak truth to power, but a press that is unwilling to use that freedom serves no purpose in a democratic society.
Now that the mainstream press is acknowledging the power of blogs, and now that we've seen some examples of liberal activism working, we have to keep it up-- we have to match the energy of right-wing fundamentalists. It might be something of a drag, but it only takes a few minutes out of your day and it makes a difference. And as you all know, this is a high stakes battle.
PS- I've said it before, but it still holds true-- personalizing your message makes a difference. A hundred copies of the same letter isn't as good as one original plea. And I managed to quote one of my favorite movies in the title of this post. Can anyone name it?
posted by Matt Sandwich | 6:02 PM
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