I ran into an old friend on the train the other day. He asked how I was and I responded, "completely distraught, aren't you?" He wasn't. We proceeded to have a riveting conversation about all of the crimes against humanity around the world and why Gaza in particular was so alarming to people.
It's "mowing the grass," he said. They do this every other year or so, everyone gets hot and bothered, then things quiet down, everyone forgets, and then the grass needs to be cut again in another two years.
I tried my best to convince him that it was different this time. People who typically shrug their shoulders, are speaking out. People who typically say, "I could never boycott Starbucks," are giving up their coffees. Reporters are being taken out of Gaza by networks then being put back in because of public pressure. It's different!
My friend then said, if it's so different, why hasn't the US government taken a different stance? Why is mainstream media still reporting this as Israel's self-defense? Why are there worldwide protests but relatively few people seem to know they're happening? Why does ANYONE still think Israel is on any side of right?
My friend then said, if it's so different, why hasn't the US government taken a different stance? Why is mainstream media still reporting this as Israel's self-defense? Why are there worldwide protests but relatively few people seem to know they're happening? Why does ANYONE still think Israel is on any side of right?
When I came home and checked my Facebook, I saw the following status from my cousin, a former media executive:
A SUGGESTION--Many of us have posted--or are responding to--pics, articles, and videos about the Israeli attacks in Gaza. There is something simple & easy anyone can do that multiplies the effect. Instead of only reaching FB friends, we can post on major news sites like CNN, Fox News, and ABC News. Any one comment may be read by thousands of people. It's a way to slowly change minds of the public, especially if hundreds of us wrote. Also, news networks read this stuff and it's a gage of viewer sentiment. If everybody is saying, "God bless Israel" that only encourages networks for more biased reporting. I see very few Muslim and Arab names on here and much more support for Israel. Again, this is easy and it takes no time!
That's why. There is outcry, but it's not given justice in mainstream media - the media that the vast majority of Americans see and engage with. So it's time to build a balanced media for #Gaza. We are doing an amazing job on social networks, but none of us have Barack Obama's or even Kim Kardashian's following. So we need to go to the mainstream media. We need to go in droves. We need to comment on every single biased piece of reporting out there to expose that bias. So let's do it. Now.
LET'S TAKE ACTION NOW
Below is a list of the United States' biggest media outlets. Let's distribute the responsibility as equitably as possible to target these networks and newspapers. The following division of labor is purely alphabetical. If you have a particular source you frequent, great! Troll those sites and comment away. But in an effort to make sure we put pressure on all the media outlets, please do your usual thing in addition to the ones listed below.
Please commit to writing 5-10 comments each day on the sites below. Remember to focus your attention on the biased pieces and remember to be polite. Our job is not to spew more hate. It's to truth tell in order to pressure the media to do the same.
We are on the right side of history.
Your last name starts with:
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Visit and comment here:
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And here:
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A-E
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ABC.com
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LATimes.com
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F-J
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CBS.com
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NYTimes.com
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K-0
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CNN.com
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SUNTimes.com
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P-T
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FOX.com
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USAtoday.com
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U-Z
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NBC.com
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WSJ.com
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To those fasting, may the final few be blessed.
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