Challenge the Media
 While much energy has been directed to opposing the war in Iraq—as well as to presenting the case for peace to the media—comparatively little effort has been made to challenge the role that the media have played in aiding and abetting the program for war and the erosion of civil liberties.
In 2005, media critic Danny Schechter and Mediachannel.org called for a national "Tell the Truth about the War" campaign to demand more accurate and comprehensive coverage of the Iraq War. On March 15, 2006, Mediachannel, along with United for Peace & Justice, called for a Day of National Media Action, with protests outside media outlets to challenge the them to provide better coverage of the war.
The AFSC Middle East Peace Education Program in Los Angeles, in conjunction with Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP) and other allies, responded with a protest outside the Hollywood studios of the two CBS-owned television stations in Los Angeles, KCBS2 and KCAL9. The two stations operate as a duopoly, sharing news department staff and equipment. Protests outside media outlets in Chicago and New York also took place on March 15.
In the spirit of CBS's past achievements in journalism, the Los Angeles protest took on a funereal theme, mourning the loss of a great tradition with protesters dressed in black, coffins, and an elegy composed by Rev. Paul Sawyer. The journalistic excellence of CBS's own Edward R. Murrow was recalled, and copies of his 1958 speech to the Radio-Television News Directors Association were handed out to passersby.
A statement to CBS outlined the basic message of the protest:
- Verify—not just report—official statements of the administration and military on
the war, including its initial justification and related issues such as torture and
spying.
- Show the war and provide more accurate and in-depth coverage of the
casualties—military and civilian—and other costs of war.
- Report on the local impact of the war—how money for community needs is going
to the war budget.
(Read the full statement here, PDF, 95 KB)
A three-member delegation that attempted to deliver the statement to CBS staff was turned away at the station gate. The statement was mailed to station editors and CBS executives subsequent to the protest (along with copies of Murrow's speech).
Editors from KCBS2/KCAL9 News eventually agreed to meet with representatives from AFSC and ICUJP in July. Read a report of that meeting here.
AFSC Los Angeles invites you to participate in further efforts to challenge the media to give the war the coverage it is due. Contact the Middle East Program at (213) 489-1900, or email mepeacela@afsc.org.
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