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Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 17:53:01 -0500
To: Matthew Gaylor <<a href="mailto:freematt@coil.com">freematt@coil.com</a>>
From: Matthew Gaylor <<a href="mailto:freematt@coil.com">freematt@coil.com</a>>
Subject: LA Times- Coverage vs Censorship
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Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 13:12:59 -0800
To: <a href="mailto:letters@latimes.com">letters@latimes.com</a>
From: "Tom O'Connell" <<a href="mailto:tjeffo@drugsense.org">tjeffo@drugsense.org</a>>
Subject: Coverage vs Censorship
<p>
Los Angeles Times
To the Editor:
<p>
One of the motivating factors leading to creation of the Media Awareness
Project in 1996 <<a href="http://www.mapinc.org>">http://www.mapinc.org></a> was the undeniable fact that
American media coverage of the war on drugs is slanted towards protection
of that policy against any change, save those requested by government itself.
<p>
One of the more troubling aspects of such press censorship is that the
simple decision to black out a particular event may be all that's required;
whenever that happens, those with a keen interest are left to wonder if the
implicit judgement that the event simply wasn't important enough to the
paper's readers might possibly have been a reasonable one; or-- was there
some other factor? Did the paper receive pressure from politicians or
advertisers? Or was it simply deciding on its own not to risk displeasing a
powerful group?
<p>
An egregious recent example of such censorship was the LA Times' failure to
cover the October 25 raid on the LACRC by thirty DEA agents, a raid with
international significance carried out against the wishes of local law
enforcement and government officials. The Times didn't even mention it
until five days later when a short account by Staff Writer Bob Pool finally
appeared.1 The DEA spokesman's (specious) contention that the Supreme
Court's May 14 ruling against a medical necessity defense had invalidated
Prop 215 was regurgitated without comment or correction.
<p>
Since then, the raid and its implications have received far more press
attention in New York, London, and Washington than than it ever has in Los
Angeles; the most recent notice, a strong condemnation by columnist David
Broder2 is still being run in syndicated papers around the nation.
<p>
I know that the Times' failure to cover the raid received a lot of
criticism from readers at the time; I hope continuing embarrassment may
lead you to reconsider your biased coverage of drug stories in the future.
<p>
1) <<a href="http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1842/a06.html?2528>">http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1842/a06.html?2528></a>
<p>
2) <<a href="http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1893/a01.html?2681>">http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1893/a01.html?2681></a>
Sincerely,
<p>
Tom O'Connell, MD
San Mateo CA 94401
<p>
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