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From: Your Name <you@example.com>
To: aangelo@gr-press.com
Subject: Investigate Ehlers' Claims on the War
On Friday July 6, your newspaper ran a story about a demonstration organized by the Iraq Summer campaign that targeted Congressman Vern Ehlers. The story only provides one short comment from one of the campaign organizers and includes no specifics about what they were asking of Congressman Ehlers. However, your paper gave Congressman Ehlers substantial space to respond to the demonstration.
In response to the protesters' calling for pulling troops out of Iraq, Ehlers said the matter is "too complicated for a solution that simple." Removing troops would spell "a total disaster" abroad when they are trying to stabilize the country, he added. There is no verification of the Congressman's claims that pulling troops out would be "a total disaster," nor the claim that the US is "trying to stabilize the country." The story goes on to quote Ehlers as saying "I'm no supporter of war, but that's over the hill now. The question is what can we do from here ... and we're going to need a presence there at this time." Here the Congressman claims that he is not a supporter of the war, when in fact he voted for the initial invasion of Iraq and every funding bill that the administration has put forth since the beginning. How can your news agency not challenge such a claim when it is patently false?
It is the job of journalists to investigate the claims of people in elected office. If journalists do not hold politicians accountable for their comments and what policies they support, how can you expect the public to actively participate in the democratic process, particularly with an issue like the war in Iraq which has resulted in 650,000 Iraqi dead and over 3,300 US soldier deaths?
In the future, I hope to see the Press investigating Ehlers' claims and challenging him when he makes questionable statements such as those in your article from last Friday.
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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To: aangelo@gr-press.com
Subject: Investigate Ehlers' Claims on the War
On Friday July 6, your newspaper ran a story about a demonstration organized by the Iraq Summer campaign that targeted Congressman Vern Ehlers. The story only provides one short comment from one of the campaign organizers and includes no specifics about what they were asking of Congressman Ehlers. However, your paper gave Congressman Ehlers substantial space to respond to the demonstration.
In response to the protesters' calling for pulling troops out of Iraq, Ehlers said the matter is "too complicated for a solution that simple." Removing troops would spell "a total disaster" abroad when they are trying to stabilize the country, he added. There is no verification of the Congressman's claims that pulling troops out would be "a total disaster," nor the claim that the US is "trying to stabilize the country." The story goes on to quote Ehlers as saying "I'm no supporter of war, but that's over the hill now. The question is what can we do from here ... and we're going to need a presence there at this time." Here the Congressman claims that he is not a supporter of the war, when in fact he voted for the initial invasion of Iraq and every funding bill that the administration has put forth since the beginning. How can your news agency not challenge such a claim when it is patently false?
It is the job of journalists to investigate the claims of people in elected office. If journalists do not hold politicians accountable for their comments and what policies they support, how can you expect the public to actively participate in the democratic process, particularly with an issue like the war in Iraq which has resulted in 650,000 Iraqi dead and over 3,300 US soldier deaths?
In the future, I hope to see the Press investigating Ehlers' claims and challenging him when he makes questionable statements such as those in your article from last Friday.
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 [1114]
