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From: Your Name <you@example.com>
To: tgeraght@wzzm.gannett.com, sarahsell@wzzm13.com
Subject: Express Disapproval of WZZM 13's Coverage of Antiwar March
As a viewer of WZZM 13, I was extremely disappointed by your coverage of the antiwar march that was held in Grand Rapids on Saturday, March 17.
The story that WZZM 13 ran on March 17 was disgraceful. Rather than explaining why people were protesting the war, the story focused on the fact that four people (out of a crowd of more than 200) were arrested. However, based on the footage featured in the story, WZZM 13 was not around at the time of the arrests as there was no footage of the arrests taking place. This is problematic, as the story makes the claim that the "peaceful" protest "got ugly," despite the fact that WZZM 13 was not at the scene. Instead, the story relies entirely on comments made by the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) about the behavior of the demonstrators. These comments are very one-sided and place all of the responsibility on the demonstrators, with a GRPD officer stating that, "If good choices were made, this would have been peaceful and no one would have gone to jail." The story fails to get an alternative perspective from either the protest organizers or those who witnessed the events and it leaves viewers with the impression that the protestors instigated a "clash" with the police, when in fact no such "clash" happened.
Your story frames the entire protest as one that went "too far," but your channel provides little context about why the protest took place. You quote one participant about Representative Vern Ehlers' support for the war, but you fail to provide viewers with any information about Ehlers' support for the war. The only other statement in the story that explains the reasons for the protest was made by the reporter, who said that the protestors "are against the war in Iraq and want the troops to come home." This was an inadequate number of voices and an incomplete articulation of the reasons for the protest. The protestors specifically requested that Representative Ehlers support an immediate end to the war by voting to stop funding.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the story and would like an explanation of why your coverage was so narrowly focused on the arrests. I would also be interested in hearing any ideas that you have to improve your coverage in the future.
Your Name
Your Organization
123 Your St.
Yousville, YO 12345
Phone: (123)456-7890
Fax: (123)456-7890x123
p.s.
Your Personal Statement
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Report abuse to abuse@citizenspeak.org [1024]
To: tgeraght@wzzm.gannett.com, sarahsell@wzzm13.com
Subject: Express Disapproval of WZZM 13's Coverage of Antiwar March
As a viewer of WZZM 13, I was extremely disappointed by your coverage of the antiwar march that was held in Grand Rapids on Saturday, March 17.
The story that WZZM 13 ran on March 17 was disgraceful. Rather than explaining why people were protesting the war, the story focused on the fact that four people (out of a crowd of more than 200) were arrested. However, based on the footage featured in the story, WZZM 13 was not around at the time of the arrests as there was no footage of the arrests taking place. This is problematic, as the story makes the claim that the "peaceful" protest "got ugly," despite the fact that WZZM 13 was not at the scene. Instead, the story relies entirely on comments made by the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) about the behavior of the demonstrators. These comments are very one-sided and place all of the responsibility on the demonstrators, with a GRPD officer stating that, "If good choices were made, this would have been peaceful and no one would have gone to jail." The story fails to get an alternative perspective from either the protest organizers or those who witnessed the events and it leaves viewers with the impression that the protestors instigated a "clash" with the police, when in fact no such "clash" happened.
Your story frames the entire protest as one that went "too far," but your channel provides little context about why the protest took place. You quote one participant about Representative Vern Ehlers' support for the war, but you fail to provide viewers with any information about Ehlers' support for the war. The only other statement in the story that explains the reasons for the protest was made by the reporter, who said that the protestors "are against the war in Iraq and want the troops to come home." This was an inadequate number of voices and an incomplete articulation of the reasons for the protest. The protestors specifically requested that Representative Ehlers support an immediate end to the war by voting to stop funding.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the story and would like an explanation of why your coverage was so narrowly focused on the arrests. I would also be interested in hearing any ideas that you have to improve your coverage in the future.
Your Name
Your Organization
123 Your St.
Yousville, YO 12345
Phone: (123)456-7890
Fax: (123)456-7890x123
p.s.
Your Personal Statement
--
Delivered by CitizenSpeak!
Report abuse to abuse@citizenspeak.org [1024]
