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- From: GRIMES_S%Eisner.DECUS.Org@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu
- Subject: Letter protesting CBS anti-Arab remarks
- Message-ID: <1992Aug15.071810.20218@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
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- Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society
- Resent-From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:18:10 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 73
-
- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is seeking
- endorsers of the following letter to CBS News protesting anti-
- Arab remarks. To sign on, contact Larry Ekin, ADC director of
- outreach, at 202-244-2990 (or 202-244-3196 fax).
-
- Posted by Seth Grimes, Jewish Committee for Israeli-Palestinian
- Peace, jcipp@mcimail.com
-
- -------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Eric Ober
- President, CBS News
- 524 West 57th Street
- New York, NY 10019
-
- August 11, 1992
-
- Dear Mr. Ober,
-
- We are deeply disturbed by recent public remarks made by your
- anchor, Dan Rather, and two senior analysts closely identified
- with CBS News, Dr. Henry Kissinger and Dr. Fuad Ajami. At a June
- 3 fundraising banquet for the Jerusalem Foundation, Mr. Rather
- presided over a panel generally expressing contempt for Arabs,
- support for Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and also
- referred to "fundamental Mohammedanism."
-
- While we all acknowledge Jerusalem's religious and historic
- significance for Judaism, East Jerusalem's political status
- remains unresolved, subject to international negotiations, and
- cannot be determined by unilateral declarations from Israel. Mr.
- Rather's partisanship was ill-informed. We can only understand
- his participation in an event celebrating Israeli "reunification"
- of Jerusalem as a partisan act in support of a particular
- political position. His tolerance of anti-Arab racism and his
- reference to "Mohammedanism" betray either shameful ignorance or
- a deep and disturbing contempt.
-
- Mr. Rather stood by while Dr. Henry Kissinger remarked that "you
- can't really believe anything an Arab says." Surely CBS News
- would demand an apology from one of its senior personnel who
- publicly tolerated such a remark had it been made in reference to
- any other ethnic or national group.
-
- Dr. Ajami furthered the general Arab-bashing tone of the evening
- with remarks denying the possibility of "Arab democracy as well
- as contemptuous comment regarding bedouin. Again, Mr. Rather
- failed to challenge Ajami's overtly racist remarks.
-
- Certainly these persons are entitled to their own opinions.
- Journalists are entitled to opinions as are any other private
- citizens; they should be free to express them. However, when
- opinions expressed from a CBS anchor display such strong
- partisanship and ignorance, it calls into question his ability to
- offer balanced reporting on Middle Eastern affairs.
-
- As CBS analysts, Dr. Kissinger and Dr. Ajami are presumably paid
- for their opinions. However, when two senior CBS analysts
- express such remarks, we must wonder at CBS News' apparent
- tolerance of anti-Arab racism and also at the lack of diversity
- among its Middle East commentators. We wonder whether CBS News
- is serving itself and the public well when they restrict
- themselves to commentators with such a narrow perspective. CBS
- News becomes ill-informed when its main Middle East advisor is
- someone who displays such unbridled hostility towards and
- alienation from the Arab world as shown by Dr. Ajami.
-
- We join the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and
- numerous other organizations in calling for a public apology from
- Mr. Rather, Dr. Kissinger, and Dr. Ajami. We request that CBS
- publicly clarify both its understanding of the status of East
- Jerusalem, and the guidelines it issues its correspondents for
- coverage of the occupied territories, Jerusalem in particular.
-