[Peace] My letter to DI reporter

[Kranich, Kimberlie]

> FYI,
> 
> My email to a DI reporter who had a journalistic inaccuracy in her
> coverage of last night's Council meeting.
> 
> Letters to editor of the DI and News Gazette should be sent in support of
> the resolution.
> 
> Kimberlie
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Kranich, Kimberlie  
> Sent:	Tuesday, February 04, 2003 8:40 AM
> To:	'heineman at uiuc.edu'
> Subject:	Your report on Anti-War Resolution
> 
> Dear Ms. Heinemann,
> 
> Thank you for your article regarding the Urbana City Council's passage of
> an anti-war resolution.
> 
> I was at the entire meeting this week and last.  Your article in today's
> DI was mostly accurate with one disturbing exception.  You wrote:
> 
> "Although half the citizens addressing the council on Monday were against
> the resolution, the audience was overwhelmingly for the resolution,
> hissing at those who were against it and cheering on those who supported
> the resolution."
> 
> This sentence is misleading.  Some hissing came at two points only last
> night.  Point one occurred when an audience member in opposition to the
> resolution attacked those in favor of the resolution calling them names
> such as "liberal pin heads," for instance, and attacking Alderwoman
> Chynoweth for bringing the resolution forward. The hissing was directed at
> the speaker for the way in which he attacked the audience and Ms.
> Chynoweth. No one addressing the Council from the public comment chair
> attacked any one, for or against the resolution, until this gentleman
> spoke. The only other hissing occurred when I read portions of an email
> from Alderman Whelan that quoted him calling supporters of the resolution
> "insincere," "self serving," and "probably anti-American."  Again, some
> hissing was expressed to show disapproval of his email attack on those
> with a different viewpoint. No other hissing occurred at any other time.
> 
> None of the dozen or so speakers in opposition to  the resolution were
> hissed at.  To say they were, is to mischaracterize those in favor of the
> resolution.  This is journalistically inaccurate. I ask that the Daily
> Illini print a correction.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Kimberlie Kranich