[Peace-discuss] How not to get smeared in the media

[Kranich, Kimberlie]

Dear All,

We are wide and diverse group and people will do the best they can when
confronted with questions by the media, but here are some things to consider
the next time you are approached:

1) Ask the reporter who s/he works for.  Ask them to show you a card or a
microphone or camera with their station's call letters on it.  If you are at
all media literate, you will know the station's bias.

2) If you don't like the question, don't answer it.  They've already framed
the debate by the question and they are only interested in broadcasting
people who will answer their question.

3) If you can answer the question by asking a different question, that's
even better.  "This isn't a question of comparisons between Bush and
Hussein.  The reason we are here is.....and state your reasons for being
here which have nothing to do with the question WDWS asked).

4) If the media want to cast you in a bad light they will. They have the
power, but the above could help.

5) Calling in during the live program (as some people did, bravo!) is your
best shot because they cannot control (as well) what people say during the
live program. Editing audio in a studio after it was recorded is very easy
to manipulate and control.

6)Try not to let WDWS distract us from our goals of:  stopping the war,
mobilizing more people to join us, and thinking through carefully our
reasons for opposing this war, while, in my opinion, addressing Hussein's
terrible human rights record and how to hold him accountable without war.

And lastly, keep independent media (WEFT and IMC) alive by donating your
time and money and also give to PBS and WILL-AM.  WILL-TV, for example, airs
independent documentaries critical of government policies.  WILL-AM carries
BBC News and has three hours daily of thoughtful and respectful talk
programming with listener call-ins that needs your support.  WDWS is
WILL-AM's main competitor!

How many of you appreciate the above but do not give your time or money to
it? What if the above were gone and WDWS were the only game in town?  

My 2 cents,
Kimberlie Kranich