To:
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Hi.
You must know Nepal is one of the three hot spots on the planet right now. There has been a civil war in the country for a decade now. And there is a decisive democracy movement on its way in the country that promises to restore both peace and democracy. Nepal also might figure in the US elections for 2006 and 2008 as the Democrats might offer the progressive way to spread democracy in the world to compete with the neocon way like in Iraq. The Nepal way might apply to the rest of the Arab world as well to China down the line.
Nepal needs to be hitting the world headlines for the news value itself, but also because the coverage will aid the democracy movement itself. As a country of 27 million brave people, Nepal deserves the spotlight.
So far there has been little or no coverage of Nepal in the world media. As a matter of fairness that needs to change. Your viewers have a right to get better informed. What happens to Nepal affects them.
The seven party alliance in Nepal is to hold major protest rallies on January 12 in Janakpur and on January 20 in Kathmandu so as to foil the fake municipality elections slated for February 8 by the illegitimate regime that has been in power since the 2/1 coup last year. The elections are supposed to earn it legitimacy from the unconvinced international community. I believe the world media needs to widely cover this showdown.
I hope I have managed to appeal to your journalistic instincts.
Thank you.
Paramendra Bhagat
Nepali Democracy Activist
Brooklyn, NY
(Thanks to DFNYC for the idea. Write to one email address at a time. It has been the DFNYC experience that it works. Look for other addresses to write to, and not just in the US. India and Europe could be other major targets.)
Sample Letters:
1. I sent this email to aaronbrown -at- turner.com:
Mr. Brown and fellow journalists,
I feel as a matter of fairness, equality, and journalistic ethics, CNN
should feature more coverage of the earthquake in Pakistan. While
tragedies such as the tsunami and Hurrican Katrina resulted in many
donations from individuals for relief for the victims, the recent earthquake
in Asia has not achieved nearly enough donations to take care of the
victims. After the initial earthquake and the recent aftershocks, so
many people are still sick and homeless.
After seeing the difference in the media treatment between other
disasters and this disaster, I cannot help but wonder if the news media,
and therefore the public, are discriminating against Pakistani citizens
because they are Muslim. I think this could be a story in itself for
CNN, and there is certainly enough newsworthy video footage.
Thank you,
Tracey Denton
2. I sent this message through the webform feedback at CBSNews.com. (Scroll down, click on "Contact Us," third button in the blue bar, and a window with a webform will open.)
Dear CBS News journalists,
As a matter of fairness, equality, and journalistic integrity, CBS News should be featuring more coverage of the earthquake and aftershocks in Pakistan that have left people homeless, sick, and facing a brutal winter. Surely it is important that your viewers see images of Pakistan before they see the image of Camilla Parker Bowles wearing a tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth.
Yesterday, October 26, 2005, I clicked on the "World" section of CBSNews.com, expecting to find a story about how donations to the Pakistani earthquake relief efforts are not nearly high enough to help all the victims. This story should have been near the top of the list. Instead, it wasn't there at all. And yet, a picture of Camilla and Prince Charles at a royal banquet was front and center, because Camilla was wearing a diamond tiara - loaned by Queen Elizabeth II. I understand that your readers may in fact be interested in the internal workings of the Royal Family. But surely, with all the coverage you gave to victims of the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, it is only appropriate to include more coverage of the earthquake in Pakistan. Coverage in the media, especially with pictures, encourages more people to donate to relief organizations.
I cannot help but feel, after seeing the media's treatment of the Tsunami, Katrina, and the Pakistan earthquake, that there is a bias in the mainstream media because the victims are Muslim. This could be a news story in itself.
Sincerely,
Tracey Denton
In The News
Ousted Nepal PM stages comeback - from jail Webindia123, India
BJP deserts Nepal King?
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Nepal police open fire on protesters Reuters Video - Jan 26 3:01 PM
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