Happy Halloween, Subscribers to KC Media Watch!

More scary stuff happening in local media... This alert contains a lot of information, but is divided into clearly-labeled sections for easy selection and digestion, so you can skip around as you like:

§ THE PROBLEM,

§ RECENT EXAMPLES OF POOR CHOICES BY THE KC STAR,

§ ACTION STEPS,

§ MORE RESOURCES, and

§ HOW TO GET PAST THE STAR'S ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Thanks to a KC Media Watch subscriber for help in suggesting and preparing this alert!

THE PROBLEM

As a way of persuading his $87 billion request, President Bush and other officials have done a series of exclusive interviews with regional media outlets and have launched other public relations strategies in hopes of circumventing the national papers that might ask tough questions about Iraq, or scrutinize his statements closely. For example, you may have heard that a few weeks ago newspapers across the country received letters that were apparently from American soldiers in Iraq, describing their successes there. At closer examination, however, these letters were suspiciously identical. Some soldiers didn't even know about the letter that was sent in their name to their hometown paper! (See The Olympian, 10/11/03, http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20031011/frontpage/121390.shtml)

Our own Kansas City Star fails to ask the tough questions. Instead, news editors most often choose to highlight news of attacks against U.S. soldiers in Iraq while burying stories that reveal the complexity of the reality in Iraq. And, on the rare occasion when the Star editorial board writes about Iraq, it continues to tow a pro-war line, rather than questioning the way we were mislead into war with Iraq and are still misled.

THE ACTION

Let's execute our own 'campaign strategy' by writing letters to the Star -- (1) complaining about its failure to exercise a healthy skepticism toward what our leaders tell us and 2) clarifying the truth relevant to President Bush's $87 billion request.

THREE RECENT EXAMPLES OF POOR CHOICES BY THE STAR YOU CAN SITE IN YOUR LETTER:

A. TODAY, Fri., Oct. 31: The top-half of the front page of the Star (the most valuable space in a paper) leads with the large headline, 'Economy Pick Up Steam' and a photo and article about Dante Hall appearing on the David Letterman Show. (No offense to Dante, but IS THIS FRONT PAGE NEWS?) Consider what could and should have been on the front page, including the news of a report by the Center for Public Integrity that shows many of the companies chosen to do $8 billion worth of work in Iraq and Afghanistan are large contributors to President Bush. Instead, that news got five small paragraphs on page A13. ('$8 billion in work raises questions,' http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/7146801.htm)

B. Thurs., Oct. 30: While attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq ('Iraqi Strikes Against U.S. Persist', front page) is important news, aren't our lawmakers' ignored attempts to view intelligence documents also important? ('Senators ask CIA for war intelligence,' page A11

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/7136015.htm). Why do we have to dig into the Nation/World section to find this news?

C. Weds., Oct. 29: The Star editorial 'Attacks threaten democracy in Iraq,' http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/news/opinion/7126237.htm) calls for better training and equipping of Iraqi security forces to prevent terrorist attacks. 'Those firing rockets at hotels and setting off car bombs are trying to subvert any hope for democracy in Iraq. They seek to restore the kind of brutal tyranny represented by Saddam Hussein,' writes the editorial board. While no one wants to see bombing and other attacks, isn't the situation a little more complex than the Star makes it out to be? Is 'democracy' in Iraq to be equated merely with an absence of violence and submission to U.S. plans (including a rebuilding process that benefits big U.S. corporations and Bush donors)? While violence is unacceptable, isn't it possible that there are Iraqis who simultaneously disagree with the U.S. occupation and denounce Saddam Hussein? And what about democracy here? Aren't circulating fake letters from U.S. soldiers, withholding intelligence documents, and misleading the American public about weapons of mass destruction, links between Hussein and Sept. 11, and links between Iraq and al-Qaida all threats to democracy in the U.S.? When will the Star write an editorial about that?

ACTION STEPS

1. Send a letter up to 150 words to letters@kcstar.com or write Kansas City Star, Letters, 1729 Grand Blvd., KCMO 64108. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Or call (816) 234-4497 to leave a 30-second commentary. Leave your name, address and daytime phone number.

2. Contact the Readers' Representative, Yvette Walker, at readerrep@kcstar.com, (816) 234-4487, or fax (816) 234-4940 (8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. weekdays).

3. Drop an e-mail to kcmediawatch@yahoo.com so we'll know how many responded. Feel free to include the text of your e-mails or letters to the Star if you wish.

MORE RESOURCES

Many articles on what's really going on in Iraq--and what really led up to our presence there. Updated daily and with an archive.

http://www.misleader.com/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df10312003.html

The new U.N. resolution will do little. (Reuters, 10/17/2003)

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=389265&section=news

There is no emergency need for the $87 billion. (Congressional Research Service, 10/15/2003)

http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/04-Supp-availability_of_Army_funds-memo-15Oct03.pdf

Iraq contracts are rife with waste and crony capitalism. (Salon, 10/16/2003)

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/10/16/halliburton/index_np.html

The war on Iraq has increased the danger of terrorism. (Reuters, 10/15/2003)

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1015-04.htm

HOW TO GET PAST THE STAR'S ONLINE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

The KC Star's website (www.kansascity.com) now asks for your name, address, birthdate and gender to read even very recent articles. If you don't want to offer all this up, The Pitch suggests you use their publication's registration information. You can find it all at http://www.pitch.com/issues/2003-10-23/strip.html/1/index.html

Thank you!

KC Media Watch