This failure of our media to keep us informed cannot continue. The time has come to demand better coverage, to hold the news media accountable for reporting the news. The people of Darfur deserve nothing less.
JWW is urging its members to send letters like the sample below, to any/or all of the media outlets listed below.
Dear ___________ ,
I am writing concerning your coverage of the genocide in Darfur.
Genocide is the ultimate crime against humanity. A government-backed genocide is unfolding in the Darfur region of the Sudan. As the horror in Darfur continues, our major media sources are largely missing in action.
Like many American citizens, I rely on the news media. If an event is not reported on television, it is as if it does not happen. I am aware that it has been over a year since the United States Congress, in a unanimous vote, as well as both President Bush and Senator John Kerry, all agreed that genocide was taking place in Darfur, Sudan.
It is beyond question that the events unfolding in Darfur are newsworthy. Moreover they are of critical import to the American populace and policymakers alike. This country has long made clear that, as the sole superpower in the world, we cannot isolate ourselves from the rest of world and that we have an obligation to intervene to stop suffering and injustice.
In order to meet that promise we must be informed and aware of what is happening in the world. I believe the first recognized genocide of the 21st Century is news that merits the highest levels of attention from the American public. This is the single most devastating human rights challenge in the world; and we in America are sorely uninformed about it. Such information is not vital simply for our own edification - it is critical to ending this genocide.
As awareness among the public and policymakers increases it creates the possibility for government response and action which will protect innocent lives, hold the guilty accountable and bring peace to a region that has suffered far too much.
I am communicating with you today asking that you be a witness to genocide. Give the Darfur Genocide the coverage it so clearly deserves.
I look forward to a response from you on this important matter.
Thank you,
Name
Address
City, State, Zip
