FC: Republican Party urges everyone to spam TV anchors

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Wired article:
  http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,34782,00.html


> From: Chris Paulitz - Press <CPaulitz () rnchq org>
> Subject: Activists Shut Down Network Honchos' E-Mails!!!
> Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 17:55:40 -0500
>
> Activists Shut Down Network Honchos' E-Mails
> Jennings' Secretary Hangs Up on Callers Protesting Lack of Hsia Coverage
>
> WASHINGTON (March 6) - The major television networks have disconnected their
> anchors' e-mail accounts -- and Peter Jennings' secretary is hanging up on
> callers -- after Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson this
> morning gave out their phone numbers and e-mail addresses to protest the
> networks' non-coverage of the conviction of Al Gore fundraiser Maria Hsia.
>
> "The callers who can actually get through to Peter Jennings' office are
> being hung up on - right after they mention Maria Hsia," Nicholson reported.
> "It's 'call ABC Audience Relations' and click - pretty rude behavior for the
> network where 'more Americans get their news than from any other source.'"
>
> Dan Rather's secretary, meanwhile, instantly routes Hsia callers to the CBS
> operator, without  instructions or comment.  "They've turned a blind eye to
> the Hsia story, and a deaf ear to callers," Nicholson responded.
>
> Over at NBC, Tom Brokaw's secretary, Nicholson noted, "at least has the
> courtesy to take down a message" from callers who protest the fact that NBC,
> unlike the other networks, "totally ignored the Maria Hsia conviction."  ABC
> gave the story just 19 seconds, and CBS gave it 23 seconds, Nicholson noted.
>
>
> Meanwhile, all three network anchors' e-mail addresses have apparently been
> disconnected.
> Some activists told the RNC that their first emails early this morning to
> the anchors went through, but that they tried again later in the afternoon,
> "they all bounced back."
>
>         "I expected they would be mildly annoyed by the calls, faxes and
> emails, but I never thought they'd hang up on their own viewers," Nicholson
> said. "I have some advice to them - courage.  True, viewers are being
> empowered to express themselves directly to the anchors, but that's the way
> it is."
>
> Here are the names and addresses:  ABC News: Anchor Peter Jennings :
> 212/456-4025; peter.jennings () abc com; News Chairman Roone Arledge:
> 212/456-4000; roone.arledge () abc com;  News President David Westin :
> 212/456-6200; david.westin () abc com; Fax 212/456-2795.  CBS News: Anchor Dan
> Rather: 212/975-6677; News President Andrew Heyward : 212/975-7825; News
> Executive Vice President Jonathan Klein : 212/975-2730, jck () cbsnews com;
> Fax: 212/975-1893.  NBC News: Anchor Tom Brokaw: 212/664-4214;
> tom.brokaw () nbc com; News President Andrew Lack : 212/664-4611;
> Andrew.lack () nbc com.
>
> - 30 -




> From: Chris Paulitz - Press <CPaulitz () rnchq org>
> Subject: RNC Activist Alert: please forward to friends!!!
> Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 06:59:50 -0500
> Importance: high
> X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0)
>
>  <<03-06-00 Hsia Coverage_.doc>>
> !!! URGENT MESSAGE FOR RNC ACTIVISTS !!!
> !!!! NETWORKS IGNORE CONVICTION OF GORE'S BUDDHIST TEMPLE CONNECTION !!!!!
>
> !!!! NUMBERS AND E-MAIL ADDRESSES OF NETWORK BIG WIGS AT BOTTOM !!!!
>
> What's going on? Against all odds - and despite the best efforts of the
> Clinton-Gore Justice Department - Al Gore's friend and campaign cash
> collector Maria Hsia (pronounced: "Shaw") was convicted on Thursday of all 5
> felony counts stemming from her and Gore's 1996 campaign fundraiser at the
> Hsi Lai ("She" "Lie") Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles.
> Networks take a nap. But the three network evening news shows, with an
> entire afternoon to prepare, failed miserably to uphold their basic
> obligations to inform the American public of this scathing story about the
> vice president. On ABC's "World News Tonight," Peter Jennings spent just 19
> seconds on the story. On CBS, anchor Dan Rather gave the story a total of 23
> seconds. And worst of all, Tom Brokaw didn't even utter a single word about
> Gore and his crony.
> On top of that, the Senate Government Affairs Committee had identified Hsia
> as "an agent of the Chinese government" and even Democrat Senator John
> Glenn's highly partisan report had called her a "consultant" to "Chinese
> Government officials."
> Imagine if a close associate of a Republican presidential candidate was
> branded an agent of a foreign government and then convicted of funneling
> illegal campaign cash to that candidate! Is there any doubt that this story
> would have led the nightly news shows?
> Protest.  Let the networks know there is a silent majority who cares about
> their democracy being put up for sale in a place of worship - all for the
> sake of a brazen and illegal scheme to launder illegal campaign cash.  Won't
> you please forward this e-mail to your friends? Call radio talk shows, talk
> this up in Internet chat rooms, the lunchroom and union halls and write
> letters to the editor of your local newspaper.  Also, drop a message to the
> three networks - their e-mails, phone, fax and numbers are provided at the
> bottom. Al Gore and cronies putting our democracy up for sale - and the
> elite media refusing to report it.
>
> Shareholder meetings. General Electric owns NBC, Westinghouse owns CBS and
> Disney owns ABC. If you own stock in these companies, why not find out when
> their shareholder meeting are - and make your voice heard?
>
> Won't You Please Confirm by return e-mail that you've contacted the
> networks, so that we can let people know?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jim Nicholson
> Chairman, Republican National Committee
>
> ABC News
> World News Anchor - Peter Jennings - 212/456-4025
> peter.jennings () abc com
> News Chairman - Roone Arledge - 212/456-4000
> Roone.arledge () abc com <mailto:Roone.arledge () abc com>
> News President - David Westin - 212/456-6200
> david.westin () abc com
> Fax - 212/456-2795
>
> CBS News
> Evening News Anchor - Dan Rather - 212/975-6677
> News President - Andrew Heyward - 212/975-7825
> News Executive Vice President - Jonathan Klein - 212/975-2730
> jck () cbsnews com <mailto:jck () cbsnews com>
> Fax - 212/975-1893
>
> NBC News
> Nightly News Anchor - Tom Brokaw - 212/664-4214
> tom.brokaw () nbc com
> News President - Andrew Lack - 212/664-4611
> andrew.lack () nbc com <mailto:andrew.lack () nbc com>
> Fax - 212/664-6044
>
> Seeing is believing. Log onto the RNC web site at <www.rnc.org> to see the
> temple's video of Gore in action - shaking down impoverished nuns and monks
> at the Buddhist Temple:  www.rnc.org/media/video/HsiLaiTemple.ram
> <http://www.rnc.org/media/video/HsiLaiTemple.ram> and the Republican Party
> GOP-TV's Real Video report at www.rnc.org/media/video/303GG.ram
> <http://www.rnc.org/media/video/303GG.ram>.



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