I'd like to ask for suggestions regarding news outlets that you'd like to see targeted hereafter in the Awaken the MSM campaign. If possible, indicate whether they have printed anything to date, and for medium to small newspapers, their approximate circulation. I'd also be very happy to get offers of help to track the news outlets we've already targeted.
For ease of reference, I've collected all the contact info I've used so far in the Awaken campaign. It's arranged in chronological order below the fold. Thanks as always to those who are taking part. The successes achieved so far are rather striking, as I keep hearing.
Here is the link to today's Awaken diary: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/23/134818/336
6/1
(A) CBS Evening News. email: evening@cbsnews.com phone: 212-975-3247
(B) Associated Press. email: info@ap.org phone: 202-776-9400 (DC) or 212-621-1500 (National News)
(C) C-Span Washington Journal. email: journal@c-span.org
6/2
(A) ABC News. email: PeterJennings@abcnews.com phone: 212-456-4040
(B) PBS NewsHour. email: newshour@pbs.org phone: 703-739-5000
(C) The Baltimore Sun, Public Editor Paul Moore. email: publiceditor@baltsun.com phone: 410-332-6364
Please note that the third contact, The Baltimore Sun, is a special case for us. Its long history of producing outstanding investigative series and hard-nosed political reporting often has provided a valuable counterweight in D.C. to the bland or indifferent journalism of bigger newspapers. We would like to encourage them to live up to that proud tradition. Though they do not have the same resources as WaPo or NYT, The Sun is still capable of breaking the DSM story wide open. Our goal is to convince them to do that, much more than to pass judgment on their lack of coverage thus far.
6/3
(A) ABC Nightline. email: nightline@abcnews.com
(B) NBC News. email: nightly@nbc.com phone: 212-664-4971
fax: 212-664-4426
(C) Wall Street Journal. email: wsjcontact@dowjones.com phone: 212-416-2000
fax: 212-416-2658
6/6
(A) CBS, 60 Minutes. email: 60m@cbsnews.com phone: 212-975-3247
(B) Newsweek. email: letters@newsweek.com attn: National Affairs Editor phone: 212-445-4000 fax: 212-445-5068
(C) Chicago Tribune; Don Wycliff, Public Editor. email: Dwycliff@tribune.com phone: 800-874-2863 fax: 312-222-2550
The Chicago Tribune published a good front-page article on DSM on May 17 by Stephen J. Hedges and Mark Silva, and it even mentioned downingstreetmemo.com. But too much of their article was devoted to the question of why DSM was not being reported in the US, too little to the contents of DSM and the questions it raises. Much has changed since then, and we hope that they will dig deeper into the many unanswered questions surrounding DSM. You may also contact the reporters directly: shedges@tribune.com and mdsilva@tribune.com. But if so, do it in addition to contacting the Public Editor.
6/7
(A) Washington Post Ombudsman, Michael Getler. email: ombudsman@washpost.com phone: 202-334-7582 fax: 202-334-5269
(B) USA Today Managing Editor of News, Carol Stevens. phone: 800-872-0001 or 703-854-3400 fax: 703-854-2165 email: editor@usatoday.com
(C) Toledo Blade Ombudsman, Jack Lessenberry. email: omblade@aol.com phone: 419-724-6200
Note: The Washington Post published an important article on DSM by Walter Pincus on May 13, but nothing since then specifically on the document. In as much as a good deal has come out since that time (such as information about John Bolton and the firing of Jose Bustani--see my diary yesterday), it makes sense to urge the Post to encourage Pincus to do more work on the story now. The Toledo Blade has just won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigative series `Tiger Force' (on war crimes in Vietnam); the Blade often does outstanding investigative reporting. For USA Today, the email address is a very general one, so make sure you put `Attn: Carol Stevens' in the subject line.
6/8
(A) National Public Radio, Ombudsman Jeff Dvorkin. email: ombudsman@npr.org phone: 202-513-2000 fax: 202-513-3329
(B) Philadelphia Inquirer, Deputy Managing Editor for News Carl Lavin. email: clavin@phillynews.com phone: 215-854-4562
OR National News Editor Ned Warwick. email: nwarwick@phillynews.com
(C) ABC World News Tonight. email: PeterJennings@abcnews.com phone: 212-456-4040 fax: 212-456-2795
Note: We made ABC News a target last week, without any measurable impact so far. Last night they gave no attention to the discussion of DSM at the Presidential press conference. On-line they have an AP report by Jennifer Loven with a brief, and grossly inaccurate, mention of DSM. As for NPR, last night Don Gagne gave a brief but good dissection of the responses of Bush and Blair, saying it was just the same old thing they've been saying. This may be the first significant mention of DSM on NPR, and they certainly need to give listeners far more detail (ask that Gagne do a full story to clarify what it is about DSM that the Bush/Blair statements did not respond to).
6/9
(A) Knight Ridder, Washington Bureau Chief John Walcott. email: jwalcott@krwashington.com
(B) Boston Globe, Ombudsman Christine Chinlund. email: ombudsman@globe.com phone: 617-929-3020 (or 3022, to leave a message)
(C) Houston Chronicle, Reader Representative James T. Campbell. email: readerrep@chron.com phone: 713-220-6303
The reports about the Bush/Blair press opportunity on 6/7 published by all three of these news outlets were unclear or misleading in significant ways; they barely provide readers with the information needed to assess DSM or the replies given by Bush and Blair. None of them provide quotations from the text, and only the Globe indicates that these are minutes from a meeting. We believe each of them is capable of much better, and urge them to dig deeper. Knight Ridder's article, by White House correspondent Ron Hutcheson, did little more than repeat the Bush/Blair spin. John Walcott together with Warren Strobel wrote an outstanding article on DSM for the Knight Ridder newspaper group a month ago, and we'd like to see one or both of them get back on the story. The Globe's article by Farah Stockman, and the Chronicle's article by Julie Mason, are the first reports on DSM to appear in their papers.
6/10
(A) CNN, Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno. email: cnn.onair@cnn.com phone: 202-898-7900 fax: 202-898-7923
webmail: www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11b.html?1 (CNN's story idea form)
(B) U.S. News & World Report, Editor Brian Duffy. phone: 202-955-2000 fax: 202-955-2049 email: letters@usnews.com [state at top: `Not for publication']
webmail: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/usinfo/infomain.htm [select the tab `Letters to particular staff member(s)']
(C) LA Times, Readers' Representative. email: readersrep@latimes.com phone: 877-554-4000 fax: 213-237-3535
U.S. News has not reported on DSM. CNN TV has occasionally done very brief segments on DSM, but nothing that really informs the public much about actual details. There is an article on line at CNN.com about the Bush/Blair comments, but it does nothing to challenge any of their assertions. The LA Times published a superb article by John Daniszewski on May 12, but then no stories until June 8 when Edwin Chen mentioned the Bush/Blair comments on DSM. Chen's report was exceedingly brief and did little more than regurgitate Bush's spin; it was a very poor coverage. Please urge the LA Times to hand the assignment back to Daniszewski, to pursue all the news that has been brought out since he first wrote.
6/13
(A) ABC News, Washington Bureau. general email: netaudr@abc.com Nightline email: niteline@abc.com
phone: 202-222-7777 (Washington Bureau); 202-222-7000 (Nightline) Fax: 202-222-7680 (Nightline)
(B) St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Bureau Chief Jon M. Sawyer. email: jsawyer@post-dispatch.com phone: 202-298-6880
(C) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade (jointly), National Bureau Chief Ann McFeatters. email: amcfeatters@nationalpress.com phone 1-202-662-7071
We've targeted ABC World News Tonight twice and Nightline once, still without avail. So back at them, this time the Washington Bureau specifically, especially Nightline (which is one of our best hopes for serious and detailed reporting on DSM). With ABC, phone calls are probably preferable to emails to the very general address given here. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has published nothing either on DSM (to my knowledge). Ann McFeatters, a sharp observer of DC, is the Washington reporter for both the Pittsburgh and Toledo papers. Both papers last Wednesday printer her well-informed story on the Bush/Blair denials, which none the less did not quote the text of DSM or challenge directly the dismissive comments of the two men. She is capable of providing a far better picture of what is at issue, and we'd like to urge her to revisit the subject now that the `Military Action Memo' has appeared to confirm and expand the picture given us by DSM.
6/14
(A) Miami Herald, National News Desk. email: nationalnews@herald.com phone: 305-376-3721
(B) Cleveland Plain Dealer. Managing Editor Tom O'Hara. email: Tohara@plaind.com phone 216-999-4737
OR National Editor Daryl Kannberg. email: dkannber@plaind.com phone: 216-999-4865
ORWashington Bureau. email: WashingtonBureau@plaind.com
(C) Denver Post, National Editor Mark Harden. email: mharden@denverpost.com phone: 303-820-1670
I find no evidence that the Cleveland Plain Dealer has published on DSM at all. The Denver Post published a poor and exceedingly brief Associated Press article by Jennifer Loven on the Bush/Blair press conference, but otherwise nothing on DSM. The Miami Herald has published only a single, mediocre wire story on the press conference by Ron Hutcheson. When even many smaller newspapers have devoted considerable attention to DSM, it is surprising that these three relative giants have all but ignored the document.
6/15
(A) C-Span [substituted around noon EST with...]
(A) The Lynchburg News & Advance. Contact EITHER
Editor Robert C. Wimer. email: RWimer@newsadvance.com phone: 434-385-5400 fax: 434-385-5538
OR Managing Editor Joe Stinnett. email: jstinnett@newsadvance.com phone: 434-385-5520 fax: 434-385-5538
(B) Cox News Service, Washington Bureau Chief Andy Alexander. email: andya@coxnews.com phone: 202-887-8334
OR Carl Rauscher, Washington Bureau News Editor. email: crauscher@coxnews.com 202-887-8307
(C) Arizona Daily Star, Managing Editor Teri Hayt. email: thayt@azstarnet.com phone: 520-573-4226
OR Reader Advocate Debbie Kornmiller. email: advocate@azstarnet.com phone: 520-434-4080
The Lynchburg paper has published much about Jerry Falwell's political views, but so far nothing about DSM. I gather that they've picked up Michael Kinsley's atrocious °/°° op-ed (see my comments below), and plan to print it soon. Please urge the editor of this Virginia paper to publish a more careful op-ed or newsreport (such as today's LA Times article by John Daniszewski) that spells out for readers what DSM actually states (as Kinsley neglects to do!). Cox News Service owns an important newspaper chain. Cox reporters Ken Herman and Don Melvin wrote good introductory articles on DSM (printed by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on June 8th and June 12th, but the Cox Washington Bureau has not dug any deeper or produced reports on the many related issues. The Arizona Daily Star has printed only a single article mentioning the memo (though the paper has had some pointed letters to the editor about DSM).
6/16
(A) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact EITHER Washington Bureau Chief Craig Gilbert. email: cgilbert@journalsentinel.com phone: 202-662-7290
OR Senior National Editor Carl Schwartz. email: cschwartz@journalsentinel.com phone: 414-224-2877
(B) Media General, Senior Washington correspondent John Hall. email: jhall@mediageneral.com phone: 202-662-7664
(C) Detroit Free Press, National News Editor Nancy Laughlin email: laughlin@freepress.com
OR Reader Representative John X. Miller. email: readrep@freepress.com phone: 313-222-2441
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has published one excellent editorial on DSM, but no news reports at all. It is the hometown newspaper of Rep. James Sensenbrenner, who tried to block Rep. John Conyers from holding a hearing in the Capitol on DSM today. Media General owns a newspaper chain in the southeast. None of their papers have run any articles on DSM to date, though John Hall is a serious investigative journalist and very capable of doing credit to the subject (do not however bother talking to the DC Bureau Chief for Media General). The Detroit Free Press has published only a single article on DSM (the highly abbreviated and uninformative June 8th report by Ron Hutcheson about the Bush/Blair press conference).
6/17
(A) Cincinnati Enquirer. Washington Correspondent Carl Weiser email: cweiser@gannett.com phone: 202-906-8134 fax: 202-906-8200
(B) Louisville Courier-Journal. Washington Correspondent James Carroll email: jcarroll@gns.gannett.com phone: 202-906-8141 fax: 202-906-8200
(C) Nashville Tennessean. Washington Correspondent Larry Bivins email: lbivins@gns.gannett.com phone: 202-906-8105 fax: 202-906-8200
All three papers have received LTEs about the Downing Street Memo, but none have published articles on it (as far as I've been able to determine). They are grouped here because they belong to the Gannett newspaper chain. You may wish also to contact the Gannett News Service Washington Bureau Senior Editor Phil Pruitt (email: ppruitt@gns.gannett.com main phone number: 202-906-8100 fax: 202-906-8200) to urge him to generate more coverage of DSM.
6/20
(A) Scripps Howard News Service, Managing Editor Karen Timmons. email: timmonsk@shns.com phone: 202-408-2721 fax: 202-408-5950
(B) Wall Street Journal, Washington Bureau Chief Gerald Seib. email: jerry.seib@wsj.com fax: 202-862-9266
(C) Newark Star Ledger/Newhouse News Service, Robert Cohen. email: Robert.Cohen@Newhouse.com
It appears that The Wall Street Journal has printed nothing about DSM. Gerald Seib views himself as a sensible moderate, not a bomb-thrower; in appealing to him to generate serious reporting on DSM, loud demands for impeachment might well be counterproductive. In a speech at Kansas University recently, Seib said "What an objective press can do that no one else can do is this: It can shine a light on dark corners of the world and do so with credibility." We should encourage him to view DSM as a story that remains shrouded in darkness, and which deserves careful and sustained reporting to be brought into the light of day.
The Star-Ledger of Newark printed three articles last week on DSM, all excellent, but none produced by any of their own reporters. The Newhouse reporters as a whole are silent on DSM. Robert Cohen seems the best reporter at Newhouse to ask to dig into the matter.
The three news reports by Scripps Howard about DSM have all been very unbalanced and almost wholly uninformative about the contents of DSM (none of the related documents have been mentioned at all). One SH "news" report on 6/15, by Lisa Hoffman, was a diatribe directed against the ignorance of bloggers, who she thought needed a (badly informed) lesson in why George Bush had to invade Iraq. The next day SH promoted a sneering editorial by Jay Ambrose. Perhaps Scripps Howard can redeem their so far abysmal DSM reporting, but not by assigning the story to any of the reporters who've already worked on it.
6/21
(A) Arizona Republic, Washington Correspondent Billy House. email: billy.house@arizonarepublic.com phone: 202-906-8136 fax: 202-906-8200
(B) Austin American-Statesman, Washington Correspondent Chuck Lindell. email: clindell@coxnews.com phone: 202-887-8327 fax: 202-331-1055
(C) Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, Washington Correspondent Dale Eisman. email: icemandc@msn.com phone: 703-913-9872 fax: 703-913-9873
All three reporters appear to be fine journalists, but somehow only the Austin paper has had a single (brief) news story on DSM yet. The Norfolk paper did however have a good editorial on May 25th, which ran in part: "The memo and its implications kicked off a furor in Europe, where the Iraq war is hugely unpopular, but has so far merited little mention in the U.S. press. Most Americans -- no matter their position on the war -- simply don't have the appetite to face the implications of the memo, not after burying 1,500 soldiers. Eighty-nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives have now signed a letter...But just because the Democrats are posturing doesn't mean that they aren't asking important questions -- questions the White House should answer." The Virginian-Pilot and the rest of us are still waiting for answers more than fifty days after DSM was first published.
6/22
(A) Las Vegas Review-Journal, Washington Correspondent Tony Batt. email: tbatt@stephensmedia.com phone: 202-783-1760 fax: 202-783-1955
(B) Tampa Tribune, Washington Correspondent Keith Epstein. email: kepstein@mediageneral.com phone: 202-662-7660 fax: 202-662-7675
(C) Albuquerque Journal, Washington Correspondent Michael Coleman. email: mcoleman@abqjournal.com phone: 202-662-7488 fax: 602-662-7489
It appears that none of the newpapers has yet printed a news story on DSM. The Tampa Tribune had an editorial on June 17th that was full of questions that the editors believe require answers from the Bush administration. Much of their assessment of the wording and possible interpretation of DSM is highly debatable , but at least they are trying to address the issue in Tampa.
6/23
(A) Providence Journal, Washington Bureau Chief John Mulligan. email: jmulligan@belo-dc.com phone: 202-661-8423
(B) Richmond Times-Dispatch. Contact EITHER Louise Seals, Managing Editor. email: lseals@timesdispatch.com phone: 804-649-6301
OR Peter Hardin, Washington Correspondent. email: phardin@mediageneral.com phone: 202-662-7669 fax: 202-662-7675
(C) Dayton Daily News. Contact EITHER: Managing Editor Steve Sidlo. email: steve_sidlo@coxohio.com phone: 937-225-2224
OR Washington Correspondent Jessica Wehrman. email: jwehrman@coxnews.com phone: 202-887-8328 fax: 202-331-1055
The Providence Journal is a conservative paper for such a liberal state as RI. So far it has published only the dismissive op-ed by Michael Kinsley (6/15), and a short news story (6/11) about the `Briefing Paper' that devotes only a few sentences to DSM. The ProJo's coverage is less informative than what local TV stations in RI are providing. The Richmond Times-Dispatch happens to be concerned about reaching more "under-35" readers, and it would be fair to make the point with Louise Seals that the Iraq war hits home much harder with draft-age men and women than even with older generations. Peter Hardin's reporting from DC focuses heavily on stories with a Virginia angle, just as Jessica Wehrman's reports focus on Ohioans; therefore both are listed (very much) as secondary contacts. The Dayton Daily News has published nothing on DSM so far.
6/24
(A) Detroit News. Contact EITHER Don Nauss, Deputy Managing Editor for News. email: dnauss@detnews.com
OR Alison Bethel, Washington Bureau Chief. email: abethel@detnews.com phone 202-662-7370 fax: 202-662-7385
(B) San Antonio Express News. Contact EITHER Asst. Managing Editor for News Robert Kaiser. email: rkaiser@express-news.net phone: 210- 250-3114
OR Washington Bureau Chief Gary Martin. email: gmartin@express-news.net phone: 202-943-9237 fax: 202-333-1184
(C) Reno Gazette-Journal. Contact EITHER Executive Editor Tonia Cunning. email: tcunning@rgj.com phone: 775-788-6357
OR Washington Correspondent Doug Abrahms. email: dabrahms@gns.gannett.com phone: 202-906-8124 fax: 202-906-8200
There have been no news stories in any of these papers, it seems. The only real sign of interest in any of the papers was a single, brief editorial in the Detroit News calling for a public investigation of the allegations. All three Washington Correspondents are likely to produce serious reports on DSM if they choose to cover it. Alison Bethel generally is willing to delve into real detail in her reports. Gary Martin is openly and frankly skeptical of the President’s credibility in general. Doug Abrahms is primarily interested in issues like energy policy; however he sometimes does politics as well and, having a good understanding of history, he’s likely to bring some necessary perspective to the entire range of issues.
6/27
(A) Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, Managing Editor Steve Thomas. email: sthomas@journalstar.com
(B) Indianapolis Star. EITHER Managing Editor Pam Fine. email: pam.fine@indystar.com phone: 317-444-6168 fax: 317-444-6565
OR Washington Correspondent Maureen Groppe. email: mgroppe@gns.gannett.com phone: 202-906-8118 fax: 202-906-8220
(C) Lansing State Journal, Managing Editor Stephanie Angel. email: sangel@lsj.com phone: 517-377-1017
Neither the Lincoln nor the Lansing papers appear to have published anything yet on DSM. The Journal Star is pretty middle of the road in terms of its politics, and Steve Thomas seems to be a no-nonsense kind of editor with little patience for spit-ball politics. The absence of coverage of DSM is somewhat surprising, given that Thomas seems to look for substance in political reporting. The Lansing and Indianapolis papers are fairly conservative; both belong to the Ganett chain. The Indianapolis Star has published 3 news stories that mention DSM, but all were brief and unspecific. One article devotes only three sentences to the Bush/Blair denials; one focuses entirely on the briefing paper and the alleged lack of post-war planning; and one quotes a short bit of DSM while describing Conyers’ forum. Readers of the Star would have little idea about the significance of DSM from these stories, and would know nothing about any of the related documents except the July 21 briefing paper. Editor Pam Fine, recently hired away from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune(which has been in the forefront of coverage of DSM) finds herself caught in the middle of murky lawsuit at the Star, so tensions may be high there; be nice to her. DC Correspondent Maureen Groppe seems to do a lot of reporting about pharmaceutical companies, so perhaps she is not the strongest bet to cover DSM.