ALL WOMAN PEACE GROUP BEGINS LOCAL
MEDIA “TOUR OF SHAME”
For immediate release
On Wednesday, April 23, the
newly-formed Women for Peace group will begin its media “Tour of
Shame” to criticize what they say is sanitized news coverage of the war
and ongoing occupation of Iraq.
The group’s first target is Fox TV news; they will arrive at the
Fox offices at 7847 Big Sky Drive in Madison at 5 pm Wednesday.
This first stop of the Women
for Peace media Tour of Shame will feature group members reading reports on
Iraq from respected international and independent news sources, giant puppets
representing government influence over mainstream reporting, and the delivery
of a group statement and list of demands to Fox TV. During a street theater performance, some Women for Peace
members dressed as reporters will attempt to “sanitize” Iraq news
coverage with brooms, cleaners and feather dusters.
“We feel it is
important to send a strong signal to the local offices of mainstream media
outlets that they’re not doing their jobs, they’re not asking the
tough questions and they’re relying on one party to the conflict –
the U.S. government – for information,” said Women for Peace member
Amy Fuelleman. “When our
country is engaged in major overseas operations, it is especially important for
reporters to be unbiased and uncompromising. As mothers and daughters, we empathize with the plight of
Iraqi women and children, and we want their stories to be heard, too.”
The group singled out Fox TV
for what they said was especially poor Iraq coverage. “Our action today focuses on Fox, but in the coming
weeks we’ll be holding similar actions at other media offices as part of
our Tour of Shame,” said Women for Peace member Diane Farsetta. “More and more people are
realizing they need to seek out international and independent reports for the
whole story. But we think
mainstream media outlets – which use the public airwaves and are the most
accessible news source for many people – have a responsibility to do a
better job.”
Background
The New
York-based media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has
released a number of studies recently criticizing U.S. media coverage of the
Iraq crisis. One found an
overwhelming reliance on official government and military sources;
three-quarters of mainstream media interviewees were current or former
government officials. In February,
when a CBS poll found more than 60 percent of people felt the U.S. should
“wait and give the UN and weapons inspectors more time,” only 24
percent of interviewees expressed such reservations. Another FAIR release questioned why U.S. media were not
investigating reports that U.S. bombing of open-air markets around Baghdad had
resulted in dozens of civilian deaths.
Robert Fisk of the British newspaper The Independent was able to identify shell
fragments from the scene as being of U.S. origin.
The Women for Peace group formed following a Madison peace rally on International Women’s Day, March 8, which saw hundreds of women brave a blizzard to encircle the State Capitol building in pink rope. The group acts to highlight women’s role in peacemaking and the suffering of women and children in war.
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