Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 17:49:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Wolf Factory <wolf_factory-AT-yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: US Media contacts (suspension of debate)


The list of media contacts that Prof. DeLoughrey
produced made me smile.
Smile and remember the time of the Gulf War. The war
broke out during my freshman year at University in
England. Up to that point I had swallowed whole the
notion that Britain was a place where everyone can
speak their mind and share their opinion with others.
I also believed that criticism of the government’s
action was welcome, even expected. Up to that point, I
had watched politicians from the left and right
debating fiercely every aspect of domestic policy. The
amount of information available regarding domestic
issues was immense and comprehensive. As someone
coming from a country without a so called free press
(Iraq) I was impressed.

Then the war broke out and overnight my dreamy notions
of democracy and freedom of expression were shattered.
Any worthwhile debate on TV about the war was aired
late at night (usually on channel 4) after the vast
majority of the public were safely tucked in bed. The
other outlet for sound or semi-sound debate was the
radio, listened to by the aged and the sympathetic but
sedate middle class. The newspapers made sure that the
public’s appetite for blood was maintained at fever
pitch. The TV screen insisted : Whatever you do, do
not lift your eyes off that evil man with the thick
moustache. Occasionally you would hear a whimpering
voice  (a lefty naturally) who might ask: but what
about the innocent people? didn’t we support Saddam in
the 80s? Isn’t there another side to this? The
presenter would give them about five seconds of air
time before shutting them up. All of this was at the
start of the conflict and before the ground troops
descended. Once they were on ground, even the Channel
four intellectuals nodded their heads in agreement
that the time for discussing the legitimacy of the war
was over and we had all better move onto more
worthwhile subjects like which targets ought to be hit
first. The faucet was turned as far as it could go and
all sane debate dried up.

It seems there is an acceptance at such times, and we
are living through such times, that debate can be
thrown out of the window. The news turns into a
government propaganda outlet, telling the people how
they ought to react and entertaining them with
exciting images. It is as if secretly western
societies regard debate as a luxury item that can be
disposed of in times of ‘national crisis’. Debate is
the equivalent of music lessons. Everyone agrees they
are important but they are the first things to go when
a school has to tighten its budget. At these times of
‘national crisis’ the news anchors become the ring
masters and we the audience, clad in our Roman togas,
sit fixated before the fluorescent screen waiting for
the moment when the lions are set loose upon the
Christians. 

I wrote a torrent of letters during the Gulf War and
subsequent action. I called all the radio shows. My
voice and the voice of others was drowned by the war
drums. I had better success after the action was over.
At such times, the censorship is removed and we are
all allowed to debate as much as we like. This gives
us a cozy feeling that we are living in societies that
allows all points of view equal access. Then we go to
sleep and forget all about the nasty places in the
world like Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Colombia,
Palestine, Cambodia, Libya, Pakistan, East Timor. That
is until the next time and there is always a next
time.   

--- Elizabeth DeLoughrey <emd23-AT-cornell.edu> wrote:
> Hi folks
> Here are a few email addresses from US corporate
> media that should know
> about and incorporate into their coverage many of
> the views expressed on
> this list. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised--with
> the exception of PBS, it
> was not easy to collect their contact info. I do
> hope others will contribute
> to this list and also use this info to forward any
> articles, petitions,
> opinions, letters etc to these manufacturers of
> consent. Liz
> 
> MSN/NBC:
> The author of "Bin Laden comes home to roost"
> article in 1998
> michael.moran-AT-msnbc.com
> 
> NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw
> Nightly-AT-nbc.com
> 
> General MSN news feedback contact
> World-AT-MSNBC.com
> letters-AT-msnbc.com
> 
> Newsweek Magazine (alsoMSNBC.com)
> WebEditors-AT-newsweek.com
> 
> Letters to the Editor for the U.S. print edition of
> newsweek
> Letters-AT-newsweek.com
> 
> Newsweek International Editions
> Letters to the Editor: Editors-AT-newsweek.com
> 
> ABC News
> http://abcnews.go.com/
> 
> To email ABC's Nightline
>
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/nightline/Nightline/Nightline_email_form.html
> 
> To email ABC News with Peter Jennings
>
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/community/DailyNews/mourning_emailform.html
> 
> I can't locate any direct email addresses for ABC
> except this:
> >You may send your TV related questions or comments
> to the following email
> address: netaudr-AT-abc.com
> 
> CBS NEWS
> http://www.cbsnews.com/
> 
> General Feedback form at CBS
>
http://www.cbsnews.com/now/eframeset?p_url_bot=/now/feedback/0,1611,311,00.h
> tml
> 
> >Here's how to get in touch with The CBS Evening
> News with Dan Rather.
> evening-AT-cbsnews.com
> 
> CNN
> 
> (From Anthony): community-AT-cnn.com
> 
> (BTW http://www.cnn.com/ has a poll asking
> "How should the U.S. respond if Afghanistan won't
> turn over bin Laden? "
> where the vast majority are responding "massive
> military action")
> 
> PBS
> http://www.pbs.org/
> Frontline--the only program I have seen that did a
> profile of bin Laden,
> examining his relationship to the CIA.
> frontline-AT-wgbh.org
> 
> ***********************
> Elizabeth DeLoughrey
> Assistant Professor, Dept of English
> 250 Goldwin Smith Hall
> Cornell University
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> Ph. (607) 255-3411
> Fax (607) 255-6661
> Emd23-AT-cornell.edu
> 
> 
> 
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