[10-30-02]

Deborah Kory, Managing Editor of Tikkun magazine (Tikkun is a liberal Jewish activist organization whose leading spirit is Rabbi Michael Lerner), has commented on the impressive lack of media coverage of the demonstrations last Saturday, Oct. 26, around the nation and indeed around the world, opposing the US march toward war against Iraq.

She urges those who share Tikkun's commitment to peace in the Middle East to write to their media outlets expressing concern at this bias.

Can you share news of any rallies or demonstrations you've taken part in or witnessed?  Please send us a note!

Oct. 29, 2002

Dear Tikkun friends and fellow peacemakers:

Were you as disturbed as I was that there was virtually no media coverage of the anti-war (on Iraq) demonstrations last Saturday, October 26? By all accounts, the demonstrations that took place in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and many other cities throughout the U.S., were the largest anti-war demonstrations that have occurred in this country since the Vietnam War. What did the New York Times have to say about it on page A10? "Thousands of protesters marched through Washington's streets... Fewer people attended than organizers had said they hoped for, even though after days of cold, wet weather, the sun came out this morning." Now, conservative estimates listed the number of protestors at 100,000, while organizers claim it was 200,000, and I heard Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, one of the chief organizers of the protest, as well as several other organizers, say over live radio that this protest far-exceeded their expectations. I wonder which "organizers" the New York Times spoke with for this interview? And why it deserved so little space and not on the front page, and no follow up stories?

How did CNN respond? They covered it via ticker tape at the bottom of the television screen (where most of the real news is these days). There was such scant coverage of this major national event (worldwide event actually, as there were similar protests across Europe and Asia) that there can be no doubt that the media is actively suppressing the voices (and there are many) of opposition to this war. It's time to get serious folks, and demand that the media stop feeding us White House briefings and get out on the streets where people far and wide are voicing opposition to this ill-conceived and treacherous war. We simply can't afford to sit back and let the world unravel before us ˜we must do everything we possibly can to stop this war and that means we must use all means at our disposal to shift the media's focus away from its obsessional coverage of pundits and so-called "experts" and toward what is actually happening in society, which is wide scale opposition on the left and right to Bush's war on Iraq.

One way to make your voice heard is to write, call, and email the media. Lets say that you don't have time to get actively involved in organization-building or outreach in your community. Here is something you could do which would not take more than ten minutes a day. Please take some time out of your day each day to contact media.

It's important not only to critique the media when its coverage is biased, but also to write in your support when you appreciate their coverage.

But it's usually biased. In the case of Middle Eastern issues, you rarely get the opinions of those who are critical of current American policy. I suppose if there had been some major violence that might have gotten attention--but since we are committed to non-violence our only hope to get our views heard is if you become involved at least enough to make a call each day to someone in the media. Moreover, since violence is always destructive to and antithetical to our message, it is important that we head off the possibility that hot-heads will conclude that our message will only be heard when they engage in acts of violence. Just another reason to make it worth your while to spend a few minutes a day on phone calls to the media.

For more information, go to the Tikkun website. 

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