Dear ABC News,
Perhaps I would be writing to every network and cable news channel had I seen their reports; however, I only happened upon ABC's coverage of the tsunami disaster on Monday of this week, and it has been bothering me ever since, so I must write to complain.
It seemed, for the duration of your evening news coverage, that the only real victims of a major disaster affecting Asia, Africa, the Indian sub-continent were caucasians from Europe and North America! Which is to say, your coverage seemed grossly over-focused on the minority of victims who happened to bear a superficial resemblance to your core audience, and obscenely under-focused on the majority of victims.
The error did not go unnoticed in my household, nor did it fail to upset my entire family, who found this treatment inhumane (dehumanizing, really), disrespectful, and, since as a major American network you "represent" us all at some level, a severe undermining of American values.
I hope in the future you will give more thought to your coverage, and make an effort to value ALL human life, no matter its skin color or country of origin.
Yours,
Amy Letter
Wow. I was just thinking that.
To the SF Chronicle:
Dear Editors,
It's no surprise these Social Securty hystrionics are coming from the same White House that would, in the midst of an important mission in Afghanistan, abandon all but the capital to go attack the wrong country!
There's an enormous pile of economic work to be done -- trade deficits to be fixed, a falling dollar to repair -- but the Bush Administration has skipped these important targets to pursue yet another "pet project" that clearly benefits, guess who! Wealthy Bush cronies! This time Merrill Lynch instead of Halliburton, but it's the same game: funneling the taxes of us all into the pockets of a few -- a few good ol' Bush contributors!
And when the poorest and least fortunate of our aging population discovers there is no longer a safety net -- that a bad "investment choice" they made at 55 will leave them homeless and starving at 75 -- we can expect the Republicans to react with as much speed and sympathy as they reacted to the tsunami disaster: "oh, we didn't want to show too much SYMPATHY, or people would say we're 'acting like Clinton'!"
That such heartless, greedy con-artists hold power is nothing short of human tragedy.
Amy Letter
