Those of you who have heard me lecture and tell "my NY1 Story" will know how bad it feels today to report that NY1, New York's 24 hour news station, is running a Ringling Bros. fluff piece.
The web version of the story, posted June 18, is headed, "Protestors Greet Circus Opening." The story printed on that page opens with, "PETA members protested Thursday ahead of the opening performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Coney Island."
But when one clicks on the video that actually aired on the station, one sees and hears nothing of protests. Instead we are treated to the anchor telling us:
"The greatest show on earth lands in Brooklyn! Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus is debuting the Coney Island Boomerang Show today. The animal open house begins this afternoon at 5:30 and the show kicks off at 7. But there are lots of fun things to do before the show begins!"
Then we see a head-dressed elephant being led around and doing tricks in the ring, after which the Ringling production manager tells us about all the fun things that can be done before the show -- like trying on costumes.
After the clip the anchor shares information as to how long the show is running and where we can get more information and a complete schedule.
The "Protestors" heading on the web story might be a cynical attempt to appease complaints rolling in, or expected to roll in, about the coverage. Particularly cynical could be the opening line mentioning PETA, given that PETA is having such massive credibility issues this week in light of their comments on the presidential fly murder. (For the antis who read this and will repost that line trying to suggest I am seriously using that term, I spell out here and now that I am not.)
You can watch the disappointing video on line at:
http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=100953
Please do not go from it to any other stories on the site, which would reward NY1 for the appalling "coverage."
You may wish to go to http://www.awionline.org/ht/d/sp/i/11273/pid/11273 to learn about the law suit that various well-known and reputable animal protection groups, such as the ASPCA, have brought against Ringling Bros.
And please send a note to NY1 questioning their coverage. It is so tempting to vent in situations like this, to release some anger hoping to feel better; I will surely find forums to air my own feelings with less edit. But I urge activists to please be polite when dealing with NY1, for the sake of the animals, who can be helped if we can persuade NY1 to cover the law suit. That outcome is far more likely if we make our points without putting the producers on the defensive.
Please do not copy any phrases from any alerts or other people's letters. NY1 needs to know they are hearing the opinions of people who watched the story (either on air or on line), rather than from activists who just cut and pasted bits of letters from an action alert. Your comments need not be lengthy and eloquent -- one line expressing your disappointment is perfect.
NY1 takes comments at http://www.ny1.com/content/contact_us/
They ask whether or not you'd like a response. Please tell them you would!
I thank Nile Butta for making sure we knew about this story, and for writing a terrific, hard-hitting, yet restrained letter to NY1.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !
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Date: Fri Jun 19 12:37:45 2009
