 |
 |
Hi Jane, I feel angry when I try to accept that there are certain media topics that are pre-planned, like the violent war stories. I know this might seem incredible, but I am so busy trying to survive PD that I don't have time to watch TV-especially the news. I will MAKE time, however, for something positive. I will HUNT for good news about our progress. Really, without the Parkinson's List, my own awareness and education about PD-related news would be embarrassingly close to nil. So how DO we "break through?" When Michael J. Fox was on Barbara Walters, we made some headway-but now we're close to INVISIBLE, with the exception of the occasional radio show-like Ernie Peters just wrote from the U.K., or the Seattle stories that Janet Paterson just posted. Jaqueline Smith, the Archbishop's secretary, right there in Atlanta where you are, just sent a VERY sympathetic reply to Barb and me. She will talk to the Archbishop tomorrow, when he returns to the office at Emory from a weekend of travel. Maybe you could get over to Emory University, and talk to Jaqueline about the Tutu office offering to release a press statement--I think the establishment media would listen to Tutu, don't you? Or maybe we have to focus more on local church, synagogue and mosque newsletters, and on communitry radio/TV stations. Still, I am sure many PWP's and their caregivers, ESPECIALLY the younger-onset and juvenile-onset sufferers, are feeling like DRAMATIC changes in the attitudes of the established media, or our progress towards a cure will be WAY too slow. Ivan On Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:40:07 -0400 Jane Koenig <[log in to unmask]> writes: >Maybe I'm getting too cynical these days, but do you watch the local >news >and look at your major newspapers? To me they seem to get more and >more >lazy. The TV news relies on the "big" story at the time (Kosovo, >Monica, >Jon Benet, etc.) and anything with violence, whether caused by humans >or >nature. If it's an hour long show, they spend at least 1/4 of the >time >repeating the major stories (and another 1/4 doing promos on what >they've >just reported and what's coming up). I deliberately watched the local >news >twice yesterday, choosing two different stations. We have a serial >rapist >in town, a young man hospitalized from a hit and run, horrible pollen >counts and no rain. The local favorite didn't win the Masters. >Internationally, it's bombs and refugees. > >The newspapers aren't much better. I get a Sunday paper that's almost >too >heavy to lift, and yet there's not much to read in it. The weight is >all >from advertising. > >I had no idea Bishop Tutu was here in Atlanta until Ivan brought it to >our >attention, and I LIVE HERE in Atlanta. > >Of course, the media are driven by ratings, which they hope will >translate >to profits. The ratings indicate that the public wants to watch >violence, >local weather and local sports...and not much else. > >I wish I had some answers. Maybe I'm just venting here, but I have >to >wonder if we're too nice, even when we try so hard to be vocal. > >Jane Koenig >Marietta, GA ^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) Ivan Suzman 49/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) Portland, Maine land of lighthouses deg. F :-) ********************************************************************