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April 1, 2001 CITIZENS COALITION BEGINS BOYCOTTING DAN RATHER’S SPONSORS Citizens Coalition for Responsible Media (CCRM) announced today that, as part of its mission to combat the liberal bias in the mainstream media, it will begin promoting boycotts of products sold by sponsors of The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. Activism Director Doug MacDonald announced that Procter and Gamble is the first advertiser being targeted. Tom Millikin of P&G was notified on March 29 of CCRM’s planned action to initiate a boycott of P&G products on a national level. Millikin was advised that the company can expect a large volume of letters, telephone calls and e-mails from citizens expressing their dismay over the company’s sponsorship of Rather’s show. MacDonald further stated, “CCRM intends to focus its attention on sponsors one at a time and anticipate adding an additional sponsor every 2- 4 weeks. We believe we will get extraordinary support for our cause because there are great numbers of American citizens who believe that Mr. Rather does not present the news in a fair and balanced fashion.” Just over a month ago, the coalition mounted an effort coined Operation Valentine. MacDonald said , “As best as can be determined from our sources, Operation Valentine resulted in about 50,000 messages sent to CBS wherein supporters expressed their concerns with Mr. Rather’s reporting. When Operation Valentine ended, we sent a letter to Andrew Hayward, president of CBS News, suggesting we could have a dialogue with him to try to resolve our concerns, but he did not respond.” “We have no qualm with Mr. Rather’s right to express his views,” MacDonald said. “We do have a problem with anyone in the news business, especially nationally-broadcast television, who purports to be impartial but who, in fact, consistently presents only one side of an issue—especially when it’s the liberal side. We believe that liberalism has caused great damage to our country, largely because the press promotes it so loudly and broadly. All we seek is to have the facts reported so that the American people can be allowed to develop their own opinions based on those facts. Opinions should be characterized as opinions and not presented as the truth.” CCRM is an activist grassroots organization. It is associated with, but not an affiliate of, the conservative news forum, www.FreeRepublic.com. Anyone interested in participating in their activities can contact them at CCRM2001@hotmail.com February 9, 2001 MEDIA ACTIVISM GROUP TO SEND "VALENTINES" TO DAN RATHER Citizens Coalition for a Responsible Media (CCRM), a media activist group dedicated to eliminating inaccurate reporting at the nations largest news organizations, said today it plans on making a call to CBS News Anchor Dan Rather this February 14th. Dubbed "Operation Valentine", it is expected to result in Rather receiving thousands of rhyming notes from viewers around the country. "We want viewers to let him know what they think of his brand of news reporting", says CCRM Spokesman [ ]. "Operation Valentine is intended to be in good humor and to send a message to Dan Rather, CBS and the Evening News about what we get from them every night on our televisions" says [ ]. "Despite the lighthearted nature of 'Operation Valentine', we are very serious about what we believe to be incomplete and inaccurate reporting from our nations largest news organizations. Being a large information and news provider carries with it a greater responsibility than if you were a small newspaper or radio station where the public might have several avenues to compare and evaluate what they are delivered. Because of their reach, they have an obligation to the American public to report the news fairly and accurately. When they don't, people arrive at the wrong conclusions, voters make wrong choices and the hope for an informed citizenry is devalued and debased." Citizens Coalition for a Responsible Media is a grassroots organization formed out of the political discussion internet site www.freerepublic.com. CCRM is affiliated with Free Republic but not its owners or management. When you feel your personal media bias tolerance gauge rising into the red zone, don't throw stuff at the TV screen! Send your suggestion to outrage@fairpress.org! Each week, one hideous example of media bias will be selected for closer examination. Hmmmmmm . . .
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